UPDATE - Turkish leader exchanges Eid wishes with counterpart

CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE, UPDATES WITH PHONE CALLS WITH MORE LEADERS

By Sefa Mutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - In Sunday phone calls, Turkey’s president exchanged greetings with his counterparts from Iran, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan for Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday following the holy month of Ramadan.

The Turkish and Iranian presidents discussed cooperation in the fight against COVID-19, plus bilateral ties and regional issues, according to an official statement.

Turkey's Communications Directorate said Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani also exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional developments.

The two leaders also exchanged greetings for Eid al-Fitr.

In a separate statement, the directorate said that Erdogan also spoke with Pakistani President Arif Alvi over the phone.

The two leaders exchanged holiday greetings and discussed cooperation in the fight against coronavirus as well as regional developments.

In another phone call, Erdogan and Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow exchanged holiday greetings and discussed steps to strengthen bilateral relations as well as cooperation against the virus.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The US, Russia, Brazil, and several European countries are currently the hardest hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed nearly 343,000 people worldwide, with more than 5.34 million confirmed cases, while recoveries numbering around 2.14 million, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.