Turkish president, Italian premier talk over phone

ISTANBUL Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday spoke to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over the phone. Turkey’s Communications Directorate said in a statement that Erdogan and Conte discussed cooperation in fighting COVID-19, bilateral relations and regional developments. Earlier in the day, Erdogan also had phone talks separately with his Iranian and Uzbek counterparts. The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December, with the U.S. and Europe being the hardest-hit areas in the world. More than 2.59 million cases have been reported worldwide. The death toll has neared 180,000 while the recoveries have reached almost 697,000, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. * Writing by Sena Guler in Ankara.