Top Turkish, Spanish diplomats talk COVID-19, tourism

ANKARA

In a phone conversation Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Turkey and Spain discussed the novel coronavirus as well as normalization of the tourism industry in the aftermath of the epidemic, said diplomatic sources.

Mevlut Cavusoglu and Arancha Gonzalez Laya discussed the latest developments on the outbreak in both countries, effort to bring back tourism, and Turkish-EU relations, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

As tourism worldwide ground to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey’s new case numbers are falling, and the country is looking to bring back tourists by restarting flights and issuing certificates for businesses that have taken necessary steps against the outbreak.

Spain is also seeking to reassure tourists as its numbers fall and its borders reopen.