Turkish, Qatari leaders discuss COVID-19, bilateral ties

ISTANBUL Turkish and Qatari leaders on Friday held a phone talk to discuss matters of mutual interests, Turkey’s Communications Directorate said in a statement. According to the statement, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed cooperation in the fight against the novel coronavirus, bilateral ties and regional issues. After originating in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, with Europe and the US currently the worst-hit regions. The pandemic has killed over 193,000 people, with total infections exceeding 2.74 million, while more than 753,800 have recovered, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. *Writing by Ali Murat Alhas