Erdogan, Macron, Merkel to have video call amid fear of virus

By Berk Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have a video conference call with France leader and German chancellor for a summit on March 17 over the fears of coronavirus, presidential sources said on Friday.

Erdogan will meet with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel to discuss Idlib, a Syrian province where a new cease-fire announced last week, refugee crisis and Turkey-EU relations.

The summit, which was planned to be held in Istanbul, will be held via video conference call as part of measures taken to stem the spread of fatal coronavirus.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Europe has become the "new epicenter" of the coronavirus pandemic.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 123 countries and territories.

The global death toll is now nearly 5,000, with more than 132,500 confirmed cases, according to the WHO, which declared the outbreak a pandemic.

* Writing by Davut Demircan