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Turkish, Iranian leaders discuss fight against COVID-19

May 25, 2020 at 2:00 pm

President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) attends a meeting with President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani (L) in Russia’s coastal city of Sochi ahead of the trilateral summit on Syria on February 14, 2019 [TURKISH PRESIDENCY / MURAT CETINMUHURDAR / HANDOUT – Anadolu Agency]

In a Sunday phone call, the presidents of Turkey and Iran discussed cooperation in the fight against COVID-19, plus bilateral ties and regional issues, reported Aanadolu Agency, citing an official statement.

Turkey’s Communications Directorate said Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani also exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional developments.

The two leaders also exchanged greetings for Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Russia, Brazil, and several European countries are currently the hardest hit in the world.

In Iran, one of the countries in the Middle East hardest hit by the disease, COVID-19 was first detected in the city of Qom on February 19 and then spread throughout the country.

The pandemic has killed nearly 343,000 people worldwide, with more than 5.34 million confirmed cases, while recoveries numbering around 2.14 million, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

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