'Turkey stands with allies, hopes they do the same'

ANKARA

Turkey expects its NATO partners to reciprocate the solidarity it has shown with the alliance’s member states, a top Turkish official said on Wednesday.

"Turkey stands together with its allies in times of crisis and hardship. We hope the allies do the same," Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in a comment on a tweet by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

Stoltenberg, in his tweet, had lauded Turkey’s decision to send medical supplies to Italy and Spain, two of the world’s worst-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic.

"NATO solidarity in action: Turkey sending a cargo plane with medical supplies to Italy and Spain today to support our joint fight against COVID-19. Proud to see NATO Allies supporting each other through our disaster relief center. #StrongerTogether," said Stoltenberg.

The supplies sent by Ankara on a military aircraft on Wednesday included protective face masks, overalls, and anti-bacterial fluids.

In another tweet on Wednesday, Kalin termed the COVID-19 pandemic a "turning point in history".

"We are in the middle of a turning point in history, living through a paradigm shift moment. This ordeal will either bring us closer to one another or turn us into further strangers in an increasingly uncertain and fragile world. The choice is ours," he said.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus has infected more than 883,200 worldwide and killed over 44,150.

The virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.