World leaders congratulate Turkey's victorious Erdogan

World leaders congratulate Turkey's victorious Erdogan
by AFP Staff Writers
Ankara (AFP) May 29, 2023

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin were among world leaders congratulating Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won Sunday's historic run-off election to extend his two-decade rule.

- Biden: 'global challenges' -

US President Biden said he hoped to work with Erdogan on "shared global challenges".

"I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges," Biden tweeted, making no mention of recent tensions in the bilateral relationship.

- Putin: 'logical result' -

Russia's President Putin, who has collaborated closely with Erdogan on key international issues despite some disagreements, told Turkey's leader his win was "the logical result of your dedicated work".

"Your victory in these elections is the logical result of your dedicated work as head of the Turkish Republic, a clear evidence of the Turkish people's support for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy," Putin said, according to the Kremlin website.

- Von der Leyen: 'strategic importance' -

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission of the European Union, which Erdogan wants Turkey to join, said the bloc sought to strengthen ties.

"I look forward to continue building the EU-Turkiye relationship," she wrote on Twitter, using an alternate spelling for Turkey.

"It is of strategic importance for both the EU and Turkiye to work on advancing this relationship, for the benefit of our people."

- Stoltenberg: 'continuing our work together' -

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the NATO military alliance, of which Turkey is a member, also sent congratulations.

"I look forward to continuing our work together and preparing for the NATO Summit in July," he tweeted.

- Guterres: 'strengthening the cooperation' -

UN chief Antonio Guterres congratulated Erdogan on his re-election, the secretary-general's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

"He looks forward to further strengthening the cooperation between Turkiye and the United Nations," Dujarric added.

- China: 'great importance' -

Beijing also offered congratulations.

"We support Turkey in taking a development path that suits its national conditions, and hope that Turkey will continue to make new achievements in its development under the leadership of President Erdogan," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.

Beijing, "attaches great importance to its relations with Turkey".

- Macron: 'immense challenges' -

French leader Emmanuel Macron said the two nations had "immense challenges" to work on together.

Writing on Twitter, Macron said these included the "return of peace to Europe".

"With President Erdogan, who I congratulate, we will continue to move forward," he said.

- Zelensky: 'security and stability' -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the win for Erdogan, who since Russia's invasion of Ukraine has positioned himself as a mediator in the conflict.

"We count on the further strengthening of the strategic partnership for the good of our countries, as well as the strengthening of cooperation for the security and stability of Europe," Zelensky said on Twitter.

- Greece: seeking closer ties -

Interim prime minister Ioannis Sarmas wished "peace and prosperity to the Turkish people".

Former PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has had sometimes difficult ties with Ankara and hopes to be returned to office in elections expected on June 25, said he wanted to telephone Erdogan to "express my wish that the improvement in relations after the earthquakes carries on".

But he added in a television interview with the private channel Mega: "I have no illusions abut the fact that a country cannot easily change policy."

- Scholz: 'fresh impetus' -

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed the countries as "close partners and allies" whose "people and economies are deeply intertwined".

"Congratulations to President Erdogan -- together we want to advance our common agenda with a fresh impetus," Scholz wrote on Twitter.

- Modi: 'ties will grow' -

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "I am confident that our bilateral ties and cooperation on global issues will continue to grow in the coming times."

- Sharif: 'pillar of strength' -

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif said Erdogan was "a pillar of strength for the oppressed Muslims & a fervent voice for their inalienable rights.

"His presidential victory & that of AKP in parliamentary elections is significant in so many ways, reflecting the trust & confidence of the Turkish people in his dynamic leadership," he tweeted.

- Taliban rulers: 'service of religion' -

Afghanistan's Taliban-appointed Prime Minister Al-Haj Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund said he was praying "to the Almighty Allah to grant Turkiye, that has a special regional and global status, further strength, stability and service of religion".

- UAE: 'enhance strategic partnership' -

President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE looked "forward to working together to further enhance the strategic partnership between our two countries".

- South Africa: 'consolidate relations' -

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Pretoria anticipated working with Turkey under Erdogan "to consolidate existing strong relations at the bilateral and multilateral levels".