World leaders congratulate Turkish President Erdogan on reelection victory

By : Anadolu Agency

World leaders on Sunday took to social media and public platforms to congratulate Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Sunday won a historic reelection as the nation’s president.

French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Erdogan on his reelection, saying: “We will continue to move forward together.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also congratulated President Erdogan, saying: “Together we want to advance our common agenda with a fresh impetus!”

Congratulating longtime Turkish leader Erdogan, European Council President Michel said that he looks forward to working with him again to deepen ties.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also congratulated Erdogan on his victory, saying she “looks forward to continue building the EU-Türkiye relationship.”

“It is of strategic importance for both the EU and Türkiye to work on advancing this relationship, for the benefit of our people,” she said on Twitter.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said on Twitter: “My dear brother, congratulations on your victory, and I wish you success in your new term, and that you achieve in it what the brotherly Turkish people aspire to in terms of progress and prosperity.”

Hungarian President Katalin Novak also congratulated Erdogan, saying she is looking forward to working on strengthening their bilateral partnership.

“Türkiye’s stability is crucial for Europe, and it can play an important role in achieving peace in Ukraine,” she added on Twitter.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban also congratulated President Erdogan “on his unquestionable election victory!”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak congratulated Erdogan on his reelection, saying: “I look forward to continuing strong collaboration between our countries.”

“Congratulations brotherly and friendly Türkiye,” tweeted the office of Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. “I extend heartfelt congratulations to my brother, President @RTErdogan, on his successful re-election!” said Hamza Abdi Barre, Somalia’s prime minister. “This demonstrates the trust and support for your leadership. We look forward to seeing the bonds between our two brotherly nations grow and our nations prosper.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog congratulated Erdogan on his reelection, saying the two countries will “continue to work together to strengthen, expand good ties.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also congratulated Erdogan on his victory in Sunday’s runoff.

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar and Prime Minister Unal Ustel separately extended congratulations on his election victory and stressed the importance of Erdogan’s victory for their island nation.

‘A world leader with politics anchored in public service’

In a congratulatory note, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described Erdogan as “one of few world leaders whose politics has been anchored in public service.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Erdogan on his victory in the presidential elections.

Putin said he appreciates Erdogan’s contribution to strengthening “friendly” relations between Moscow and Ankara, and expressed his readiness to continue “constructive dialogue” on the bilateral, regional and international agenda, the Kremlin said in a statement.

United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed congratulated the Turkish president on his reelection victory, saying: he was “looking forward to working together to further enhance the strategic partnership between our two countries.”

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev also congratulated Erdogan on his reelection in a phone call and invited him to pay a visit to the Azerbaijani capital Baku.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Shtayyeh congratulated the Turkish president and Turkish people on their “election victory.”

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh said Erdogan’s victory shows the renewal of people’s confidence in his successful projects and policies.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also congratulated Erdogan and the Turkish nation on their election victory.

In a phone call with Erdogan, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated the Turkish president.

Montenegro’s President Milo Dukanovic congratulated Erdogan and wished for further progress in bilateral relations.

Georgia’s President Irakli Garibanhvili congratulated his “great friend” Erdogan “on his convincing re-election as the leader of Türkiye.”

“We are eager to further enhance the bonds of friendship & strategic partnership,” he said on Twitter.

‘Historic victory’

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte congratulated the Turkish president, saying he wishes Erdogan “every success in the years ahead.”

“I look forward to continuing to strengthen Dutch-Turkish relations and working together as friends and allies,” he said on Twitter.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik congratulated Erdogan’s “historical victory” in the country’s first-ever presidential run-off.

“Voters again elected you as their leader! This decision of the voters is not important for the Republic of Turkiye only, but for the world!” he said on Twitter.

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune was also among leaders congratulating the Turkish presidents on his reelection “victory.”

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has congratulated Erdogan, calling it a “sign of the continued valuable trust of the Turkish people.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro celebrated “triumph” of “brother and friend” President Erdogan in Türkiye’s runoff election.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Twitter: “Congratulations to President @RTErdogan on his re-election. Looking forward to continuing working together towards full normalisation of relations between our countries.”

‘Common security’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the Turkish president on his reelection and said that he hopes to develop cooperation for security and stability of Europe.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also congratulated Erdogan, saying “our common security is future priority.”

Brazil’s President Lula celebrated the Turkish president’s reelection, wishing him “good mandate.”

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema was among the first sub-Saharan African leaders to congratulate Erdogan on his reelection, saying in a Tweet: “We look forward to deepening our strategic partnership for greater peace, prosperity and progress of both our countries.”

Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani also said on social media: “As you continue to lead Türkiye towards new successes, I look forward to working together to build on our excellent cooperation.”

“May the partnership between Kosovo and Türkiye continue to grow stronger,” he added in Turkish.

In the Balkans, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Montenegro’s former President Milo Djukanovic also congratulated Erdogan.

In a phone call, Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati congratulated the Turkish president.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko congratulated Erdogan, saying the result is a sign of the trust of the Turkish people.

Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo expressed his “warm and sincere congratulations” to Erdogan, saying bilateral relations between Guinea Bissau and Türkiye will continue to be strengthened.

According to unofficial results, the Turkish incumbent won the race with 52.14%, while Kilicdaroglu received 47.86% of the votes, said Ahmet Yener, chairman of the Supreme Election Council (YSK), adding that 99.43%of the ballot boxes were opened so far.

More than 64.1 million Turkish citizens were registered to vote, including over 1.92 million who earlier cast their ballots at overseas polling stations.

Nearly 192,000 ballot boxes were set up for voters across Türkiye.

On May 14, no candidate won the required 50% in the first round, triggering the presidential runoff, although Erdogan took the lead with 49.52%.​​​​​​ On that day Erdogan’s electoral alliance also won a majority of seats in parliament.

*With contributions from Anadolu Agency’s worldwide network of correspondents