Berk Ozkan
22 April 2020•Update: 23 April 2020
ISTANBUL
The presidents of Turkey and Somalia discussed the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic in a phone call Wednesday, according to an official statement.
Turkey's Directorate of Communications said Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Somali counterpart Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo also exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional developments.
Farmajo thanked to Erdogan for Turkey's generosity and support of Somalia's fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"I thank President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey for the valuable phone conversation. I expressed my gratitude to @RTErdogan on our nation's behalf for Turkey's generous support to the people of Somalia against #COVID19," he said in a brief statement on Twitter.
On April 17, a military cargo plane carrying medical supplies from Turkey landed in the capital Mogadishu. The supplies were handed over to the Somali Health Ministry.
On Tuesday, Somalia announced that six people had died from the coronavirus and 49 more people had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 286.
The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in Wuhan, China last December, with the U.S. and Europe being the hardest-hit areas.
More than 2.6 million cases have been reported worldwide. The death toll is nearly 183,000, while more than 709,000 people have recovered, according to data compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.
*Burak Dag from Ankara contributed to this story
