'Turkey delivered supplies to fight virus to 60+ countries'

Some two-thirds of the nations of the world have requested medical supplies from Turkey to fight coronavirus, and nearly half of these requests were met, said Turkey’s foreign minister on Wednesday.

A total of 128 countries have requested medical supplies from Turkey in the form of grants, export permits, or purchases, said Mevlut Cavusoglu in a televised interview.

Underlining that nearly 64 countries have received medical supplies from Turkey, Cavusoglu said he recently spoke to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on how to meet Paraguay's request for medical supplies.

The huge number of medical supply requests from around the world “shows that Turkey is a reliable source and a true friend," Cavusoglu added.

Pointing to Turkey’s strong healthcare system, Cavusoglu said the country is sharing its experience in dealing with the pandemic with the rest of the world.

"In this respect, the World Health Organization (WHO), international community and other countries including the US are pointing to Turkey as a model country," Cavusoglu said, adding that the medical aid it delivers will brand Turkey as a reliable source.

He further stressed that now is not the time to criticize the WHO or similar organizations as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to impact thousands of people across the world every day.

"This isn’t the time to criticize international organizations, especially the WHO. We should make maximum use of these institutions and support them," Cavusoglu said.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 187 countries and regions. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed around 257,000 worldwide, with total infections over 3.66 million, while over 1.2 million patients have recovered, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.