Spain thanks Turkey for authorizing ventilators

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya thanked Turkey on Saturday for authorizing medical supply Spain purchased amid coronavirus outbreak, contradicting Spanish media's claims.

"Thank you, Turkey and [Turkish Foreign Minister] Mevlut Cavusoglu for authorizing the export of Turkish respirators [ventilators] bought by two of our Autonomous Communities Navarra & Castilla La Mancha due to the urgency in Spain, we appreciate the gesture of a friend and ally Turkey," Gonzalez said in a Twitter message.

She also said in a televised speech a few minutes before her tweet that she "strongly rejects" all accusations against Turkey in this matter.

On Friday, the speculations rocked Spanish media claiming that Turkey "seized and blocked" a medical cargo, including 150 respirators purchased by Spain amid COVID-19, and that the country will use it for its citizens.