ISTANBUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the ways of closer cooperation in the fight against the outbreak of COVID-19, Turkey's presidential office said Wednesday.

Both leaders also discussed regional developments as well as bilateral issues during the phone conversation, the presidency announced in a written statement.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey climbed to 214, and the confirmed cases totaled 13,531 on Tuesday, according to the latest figures of the Health Ministry.