TEHRAN — The UAE foreign minister has voiced his country’s solidarity with the government and people of Iran in the campaign against the coronavirus outbreak.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday.

Zarif for his part, thanked the UAE for its solidarity and help, saying the coronavirus outbreak is a global issue which needs all countries’ cooperation.

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a new respiratory disease that emerged in China last December and has spread around the world, halting industries, bringing travel to a standstill, closing schools, and forcing the cancellation of public events.

Iran is currently battling the world’s deadliest outbreak of the coronavirus in the West Asia region. So far, 724 Iranian citizens have lost their lives and 13,938 persons confirmed infected with the virus.

Zarif and his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov also held 
phone talks on Sunday afternoon over the spread of coronavirus in the region and the wider world. They insisted on the need for collective cooperation by all states to contain the virus.

Zarif, while thanking the Republic of Azerbaijan and its people for sending medical aid to Iran to counter the virus, said the “oppressive and unilateral sanctions” of the United States against Iran are a “great hurdle” in Tehran’s efforts to contain the deadly virus.
 
MH/PA