Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a decisive victory in an election, handing him five more years in office with sweeping new powers.
Here are some of the first reactions on Monday from leaders of other countries:
– Russia –
Russian President Vladimir Putin “stressed that the results of the vote fully speak of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s great political authority (and) mass support of the course conducted under his leadership to solve Turkey’s pressing social and economic tasks (and) strengthen the country’s position on the international arena,” the Kremlin said.
— Iran —
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani offered his “sincerest congratulations” to Erdogan.
He hoped that bilateral relations “could further develop based on firm historical, cultural and religious bonds, good neighbourliness, mutual respect and common interests, and close, responsible cooperation between the two countries regarding the developments in the region and the World of Islam to prepare better groundwork for resolving issues and fostering peace and stability, as well as welfare for the peoples of the region.”
– Serbia –
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated Erdogan, saying that Belgrade “will continue to be a reliable partner of Turkey and of its role as a leader ready to defend the values and principles in these more than difficult times.”
– Bosnia-Herzegovina –
Bosnian Muslim leader Bakir Izetbegovic told Erdogan he was “convinced that you will continue to lead Turkey for the welfare of the Turkish people, but that you will also pursue, in the international arena, the fight for the rights of those who are deprived of them.
“That is exactly why your victory is celebrated not only in Turkey but also across the Muslim world.”
Erdogan in late May addressed thousands of expatriate Turks in Sarajevo, at his only election rally outside Turkey after other European countries banned such events.
– Bulgaria –
Boyko Borisov, the prime minister of Turkey’s neighbour Bulgaria, congratulated Erdogan in a telephone call.
“I’m convinced that we will work together to consolidate relations between our two countries in the area of migration, as well as for peace and stability in the region.”
Borisov also told the Turkish president that he had insisted during a mini-summit on the migrant crisis in Brussels on Sunday that an EU-Turkey accord on migration be respected, the government press service said.
Source: AFP
