EU chief thanks Erdogan for COVID-19 solidarity

The head of the European Commission thanked Turkey’s president for attending and contributing to the international Coronavirus Global Response conference. In a Twitter post, Ursula von der Leyen thanked all countries’ leaders for attending the international Coronavirus Global Response conference hosted by the European Commission aims to raise €7.5 billion ($8 billion) for diagnostics, treatment, and vaccines. Sharing Erdogan’s tweet von der Leyen said: “Thank you for support!”

Erdogan had expressed importance of accessibility to vaccine for all in his video message to the conference. “It is extremely important to guarantee global access to the vaccine to be produced and to apply the principle of 'no one should be left behind'. We will consider all these issues when determining our financial contribution to vaccine development efforts. We will announce the amount after the evaluations until 23 May," he said. The EU as an international organization offered €1 billion ($1.09 billion) for the cause, while its member states also contributed. The two biggest European donors were France and Germany who pledged €500 million ($546 million) and €525 million ($547 million), respectively.  China also offered $50 million, Japan $830 million, and Canada $600 million. At the G-20 videoconference held on March 26, leaders made a commitment to funding the rapid development of the vaccine.  Since first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 187 countries and regions, with the US and Europe the hardest-hit areas. More than 3.58 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 251,500 and more than 1.16 million recoveries, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.