COVID-19 : Foreign Secy Shringla discusses issues with representatives of 5 countries

New Delhi [India], Mar 20 : Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday participated in a telephonic conference with senior representatives from the US, Australia, South Korea, Vietnam, New Zealand, and Japan and discussed ways to synergize efforts to counter the spread of coronavirus.

According to the statement, the telephonic conference call was initiated by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun for discussing issues related to countering COVID-19 among some countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan city of China, has so far claimed the lives of over 10,500 people globally and has infected more than 244,500 worldwide.

"The teleconference included senior representatives from Australia, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, New Zealand, and Japan. The participants shared their assessments of the current situation with respect to COVID-19, and discussed ways to synergize their efforts to counter its spread," the statement read,

Shringla briefed the participants on the proactive steps taken by India both nationally and in the region. "He conveyed India's desire to regularly share its perspectives with partners in the region and to work together with others to counter this challenge," read the statement.

( With inputs from ANI )