SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu agreed on the need for “greater international cooperation” to fight the coronavirus pandemic, according to a KRG statement.
Barzani and Cavusoglu spoke by phone on Sunday (November 22) to discuss bilateral relations, the KRG said. Both sides reiterated the importance of a coordinated response to the global pandemic.
“Both agreed on the need for greater international cooperation to ensure nations are better equipped to fight the spread of the coronavirus,” KRG stated.
The Kurdistan Region had recorded 93,433 cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday, of which 2,994 died and 57,941 recovered, KRG health ministry’s figures showed.
Turkish health ministry said on Sunday that a total of 446,882 patients with symptoms had been identified since the country’s first recorded case in March. As many as 12,358 patients had died from the virus, while 374,637 had recovered.
Evening lockdowns were introduced over the weekend for the first time since June, with businesses such as restaurants and bars ordered to close, AP reported.
The Turkish foreign minister also expressed his condolence to Barzani for the recent passing of Erbil governor Firsat Sofi and Sheikh Mahmud Abdullah Barzani, a renowned figure in the Barzan area, the KRG’s statement read.
The Erbil governor died at the age of 42 on November 18 after he was infected with the novel coronavirus in October. He was transferred to Ankara on November 3 to receive treatment.
