Recep

Turkey on Saturday sent a shipment of medical supplies, including new Turkish-made ventilators, to Somalia to help the Horn of Africa country combat the coronavirus outbreak.

The ventilators, made through recent technological advances, will be "breath of life for our Somali brothers," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Twitter.

A Turkish military cargo plane carrying the second batch of medical supplies landed on May 1 in the U.S. to deliver aid to its NATO ally battling the coronavirus outbreak.

The plane touched down at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, D.C.

Turkey will dispatch medical supplies to Palestine to help it combat with the novel coronavirus outbreak, the presidential spokesman said on Thursday, while a second cargo plane carrying medical equipment to the United States departed from Ankara to Washington D.C. 

Turkey brought back 390 more Turkish nationals from African and Balkan countries on April 28 as part of ongoing
repatriation efforts for Ramadan amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 119 nationals from Kenya and 153 from Tanzania arrived at Samsun Airport in northwestern Turkey.

The Turkish government has started the third round of a one-time 1,000-Turkish Lira ($143) cash aid to cushion the adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic on households.

Turkish state-owned banks have started accepting applications for personal loans up to 10,000 Turkish Liras (nearly $1,500) online and via phones on April 1.

American Hellenic Institute (AHI) President Nick Larigakis has written to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo out of concern the international community will lose its focus on "Turkey's propensity to cause instability in the region" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced on March 20 that Turkey will evacuate its students in countries where air traffic has been suspended.

Turkish president and Italian prime minister discussed over the phone possible joint measures and cooperation against the coronavirus outbreak on March 17.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered condolences to Italy's Giuseppe Conte over the loss of lives due to the COVID-19, the communications directorate said in a statement.

In her first statements as Greece's new President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou called on citizens to follow instructions issued by the country's health authorities to the letter to prevent the further transmission of the new coronavirus which has claimed one victim.