ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke Thursday to North Macedonia's President Stevo Pendarovski over the phone, according to Turkey's Communications Directorate.

In a statement, the directorate said Erdogan and Pendarovski discussed issues ranging from cooperation in combating coronavirus to bilateral ties and regional matters.

Overall, the virus has spread to 184 countries, infecting more than 1.5 million people since it first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

There have been nearly 90,000 deaths, and nearly 340,000 recoveries.