Turkish FM to attend NATO meeting via teleconference

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish foreign minister will meet NATO foreign ministers via teleconference on Thursday for the first time in the history of alliance.

"NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting will be held on April 2, 2020 through VTC for the first time in the history of the Alliance due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said a ministry statement on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is to participate in the meeting, of which the main agenda item will be "cooperation and solidarity with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic."

"During the Foreign Ministers Meeting, current issues on NATO's agenda, such as the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the strengthening of the Alliance's political role, among others, will be discussed."

Thursday's meeting is to be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

After first appearing in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, the COVID-19 virus has spread to at least 180 countries and regions.

The global death toll from the virus has hit over 47,000 with more than 938,000 confirmed cases and 194,000 recoveries, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.