Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani have discussed the recent situation related to the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic during a telephonic conversation, according to the Kremlin.

“The issues of controlling the spread of coronavirus infection are discussed in detail,” the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday,

Rouhani thanked Russia for its assistance to Iran, the statement further added.

“The two sides agreed to promote cooperation between relevant departments, including direct contacts between the ministries of health,” it said.

According to the statement, the importance was noted of consolidating the efforts of the international community to combat the coronavirus pandemic together, including the Russian initiative to create “green corridors” free from trade wars and sanctions during the crisis for deliveries of medicines, food, equipment and technologies.

On Tuesday, Russia confirmed 5,642 new coronavirus infectionn, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 52,763. Four hundred and fifty-six people have been killed by the virus

A new Moscow hospital built in a little over a month to treat coronavirus patients has admitted its first 20 patients, the Moscow mayor’s office said as the Russian capital continues to battle an onslaught of new cases.

A number of unidentified African countries have asked Russia to assist them in the fight against coronavirus, according to the Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

Iran on Tuesday announced 88 new deaths from the novel coronavirus as the country said it had released more than 1,000 foreign prisoners over the outbreak.

Iran has allowed businesses to reopen after shutting most of its economy down in mid-March, except those with “high-risk” like restaurants and gyms.

The reopening of the economy has drawn criticism from health experts and even some officials from the government. Officials have urged Iranians to refrain from using public transportation as they go back to work and lifted some traffic restrictions in the capital Tehran.

Meanwhile, globally, 2,557,181 people have been infected and 177,641 have died so far, according to Worldometer.