Albania praises Turkey's performance in fight against COVID-19
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama speaks during a joint press conference with the president of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 19, 2020. (AA)


Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday praised Turkey's performance in its fight against the coronavirus.

Rama, together with his country's board of scientific experts, made an online call to Turkish doctors.

He said Turkish health care professionals had arrived in the capital Tirana to share with members of the scientific board their experience in fighting the virus, as well as to assess their situation and draw conclusions for future cooperation.

"Turkey is one of the countries where we have the opportunity to exchange experiences and follow closely with continuous communication. Turkey's scientific committee has a special significance," Rama said, adding that, thanks to prior experience, Turkey was one of the most prepared countries when the outbreak struck.

"A human barrier was built. It took much longer than in other countries to enter Turkey and this certainly gave time to the government and institutions to better prepare the whole system."

He also noted that in 2019, Turkey had put together a national plan to combat epidemics.

Turkish health experts met with their colleagues and the managers of health institutions in the capital Tirana for several days to discuss epidemic measures and their current situation.