CORRECTS - Top Turkish diplomat discusses virus with counterparts

CORRECTS DECK, 2ND PARAGRAPH, ADDS BACKGROUND

By Talha Yavuz

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s foreign minister on Tuesday spoke over the phone with his counterparts from four countries to discuss the fight against the novel coronavirus and the normalization process.

According to diplomatic sources, Mevlut Cavusoglu held phone conversation with Serbia’s Ivica Dacic, Niger’s Kalla Ankourao, Montenegro’s Srdjan Darmanovic, and Chad’s Cherif Mahamat Zene.

This April and May, Turkey sent medical supplies to Serbia, Montenegro, and Chad -- along with dozens of other countries -- to help them deal with the virus.

The pandemic has killed over 376,200 people worldwide, with more than 6.3 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 2.71 million, according to figures compiled by the Johns Hopkins University of the US.