MUNICH — State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Feb 15 expressed China's gratitude to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for Ankara's support for China in battling the epidemic of novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

The novel coronavirus is the common enemy of mankind and the international community needs to join hands to deal with it, Wang said while meeting Cavusoglu on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference, which kicked off in Munich on Feb 14 and runs until Feb 16.

Wang said China has made arduous efforts to fight against the virus, and the prevention and control work have achieved positive results, adding that he believed that China will become stronger after the epidemic is over.

The top Chinese diplomat also noted China and Turkey, both as important emerging economies, should strengthen strategic coordination, enhance mutual understanding and trust, offer mutual support on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, and jointly safeguard the sovereignty of each other and the common interests of developing countries.

For his part, Cavusoglu said he is glad to hear that the novel coronavirus epidemic situation has stabilized in China, and that is good news for China and the rest of the world.

Cavusoglu said Turkey firmly supports China in the battle against the epidemic and believes that China is fully capable of achieving victory as soon as possible.

Turkey has provided some material assistance to China and is willing to provide further assistance in accordance with China's needs, he said.

Cavusoglu also said Turkey hopes to strengthen high-level exchanges with China, deepen cooperation in various fields, adhere to the consensus reached by the heads of the two countries, and is committed to continuously enhancing mutual trust with China.

Turkey supports the stable development of China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the measures adopted by China to counter terrorism and eradicate extremism, said Cavusoglu, adding that Turkey will maintain a fair and objective stand in this regard and will not be used as a tool for certain countries to oppose or suppress China.