UPDATE - Turkey sends Azerbaijan medical aid to fight COVID-19

REVISED HEADLINE, DECK; ADDS MORE DETAILS AND REMARKS

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) – Turkey has sent medical supplies to Azerbaijan to contribute to the country's fight against the novel coronavirus, Turkey's Embassy in the capital Baku said on Sunday.

The shipment included 30 ventilators, 55,000 overalls, 50,000 N95 face masks, 100,000 surgical masks, 5,000 glasses, 200,000 gloves, and 40,000 boxes of various medicines, said an embassy statement.

It stressed that the aid is a "strong manifestation of the brotherhood" of the two countries' presidents, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ilham Aliyev.

The fight against the pandemic will only succeed if all countries show cooperation and solidarity, it added.

Reiterating that Turkey has so far provided aid to nearly 140 countries to support their fight against COVID-19, the embassy expressed hope that this aid will contribute to Azerbaijan's coronavirus battle.

- Aid reaches Baku

The aid, sent by Turkish Air Forces cargo aircraft, was received in a ceremony attended by Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy chief for Azerbaijan's presidency, Turkey's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral, Military Attache Brig. Gen. Ismail Hakki Koseali, and other officials.

Ozoral officially handed over the medical aid as well as passed on a letter from Erdogan to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev.

In the letter, Erdogan conveyed his condolences for the Azerbaijanis who lost their lives in the pandemic and wished a quick recovery for those in treatment.

Erdogan also said he closely followed Azerbaijan’s effective measures against COVID-19.

"We’re ready to make every possible contribution to our friend and brother Azerbaijan under the slogan of 'one nation, two states’," he said.

Ozoral stressed the two countries’ solidarity with each other, adding that they stand together on both good days and bad.

"We continue to cooperate on COVID-19 at the highest level," he said.

Hajiyev told reporters that Azerbaijan and Turkey are fighting the disease together at both the regional and global level.

He also thanked Turkey for the aid shipment, saying: "This is a clear indication of friendship and brotherhood between our countries. After this, Azerbaijan and Turkey will continue their joint efforts in the fight against COVID-19."

Hajiyev added that health institutions of the two countries will consult and share experiences in battling the pandemic.

Azerbaijan has so far confirmed 19,801 cases, with nearly 11,300 recoveries and 241 fatalities.

On Saturday, Erdogan said to date Turkey has sent medical aid to 138 countries to help them combat the pandemic.

Since it originated in China last December, over 11.3 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries topping 6.1 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

The global death toll currently stands at over 531,000.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev in Ankara