Kosovo seeks help from Turkey to fight coronavirus

BELGRADE, Serbia

Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci on Thursday sought help from Turkey to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus known as COVID-19.

Thaci said on Twitter that he had a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "to discuss bilateral cooperation and to seek help to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Kosovo".

Thaci also praised Turkey's fight against the virus.

"Kosovo enjoys Turkey's operational and logistical assistance in efforts to defeat COVID-19. Immensely grateful to Turkey and President Erdogan for the support," he added.

Kosovo confirmed the first case of coronavirus on March 13.

There are currently 19 cases in the country, all of them Kosovo citizens, apart from one Italian.

COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 160 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of more than 235,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 9,500, and over 84,500 have recovered, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.