Saudi Arabia on Wednesday sent a relief cargo plane to Tunisia carrying 608,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The cargo plane, operated by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), was sent carrying the first batch of vaccines to contribute to Tunisia’s COVID-19 efforts.

The aid was sent under the directives of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abulaziz in response to the request of Tunisian President Kaid Saied, SPA said.

The plane was received by the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Tunisia, Dr. Abdulaziz Ali al-Sager, Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi, Tunisian Minister of Health Ali Merabet, and Adviser to the Tunisian Presidency Walid Hajjam.

In a statement to SPA, foreign minister Jerandi expressed his gratitude for the arrival of medical aid from Saudi Arabia.

He extended his sincere thanks to King Salman for “standing by Tunisia in the face of this pandemic.”

“Saudi Arabia’s medical aid has a great impact and an important incentive in supporting the Tunisian medical efforts in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hajjam was quoted by SPA as saying.

Last week, in a phone call with the country’s president, King Salman said Saudi Arabia will provide Tunisia with additional aid to help the government tackle the COVID-19 crisis.