Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday spoke with Iraqi and Italian counterparts over the phone, as the countries deal with a worsening coronavirus pandemic.
Çavuşoğlu and Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim discussed international and regional issues as well as the solidarity and strategic coordination between Turkey and Iraq in combating the coronavirus, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The two ministers also evaluated regional security conditions and discussed measures against the virus, which has claimed thousands of lives across the globe, the statement added.
Çavuşoğlu also spoke with Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio, who called the Turkish Foreign Minister to discuss the pandemic.
Di Maio thanked Çavuşoğlu for Turkey’s help and cooperation in containing the COVID-19 outbreak, Anadolu Agency reported.
After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus, officially known as SARS-CoV-2, has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
More than 775,000 cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll over 37,000 and more than 164,000 recoveries.