Which of the world leaders called Erdogan “brother” and “friend”

The current President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced victory in the second round of presidential elections around 20:20 Moscow time on May 28 at a rally of his supporters in Istanbul. According to the CEC, on the night of May 28, after processing 99.43% of the ballots, Erdogan won 52.14% of the vote. His rival Kemal Kılıçdaroglu was supported by 47.86% of those who voted.

The head of the Turkish High Electoral Commission, Ahmet Yener, around 22:40 Moscow time on May 28, at a press conference, confirmed Erdogan’s victory according to preliminary data, noting that he broke away from Kılıçdaroglu by about 2 million votes. The official final results will be published on June 1st.

Vedomosti collected congratulations on Erdogan’s victory from leaders of foreign countries.

The very first Erdogan with a victory on Sunday evening, May 28, before the end of the official vote count (around 20:00 Moscow time), was congratulated by Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, who won the 44-day war with Armenia in 2020, largely due to Turkish military-technical support .

“Considering this victory as the trust of the people of Turkey in the policy pursued by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that under his leadership, the comprehensive development of Turkey will continue in the coming years,” the press service of the Azerbaijani leader said. Aliyev invited Erdogan to pay a visit to Azerbaijan, and this offer, according to Baku, has already been accepted.

In honor of Erdogan’s victory, fireworks were launched in Baku.

Half an hour later, the Emir of Qatar (Turkey’s key ally in the Middle East), Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, joined in the congratulations. “My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, I congratulate you on your victory and wish you success in your new post,” the emir wrote on Twitter.

A little later, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Erdogan on his victory – the telegram was published on the Kremlin website at 21:30 Moscow time.

“Dear Mr. Erdogan, dear friend, please accept my sincere congratulations on your re-election to the presidency,” the telegram reads. Putin linked Erdogan’s election victory to his “selfless work” and “efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent, independent foreign policy.” The Russian president confirmed his readiness to continue constructive dialogue and “implementation of the planned joint projects, primarily the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and the creation of a gas hub in Turkey.”

Erdogan himself on the morning of May 29 confirmed his intention to create an international gas hub in Turkey (on its European territory).

At about 21:40 Moscow time, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko congratulated Erdogan.

He called the Turkish president a “worthy, strong politician and good friend” of his country, noting the “equal interests” of Minsk and Ankara “to de-escalate the international situation, ensure food security and peacefully resolve disputes.”

“You can always count on us,” the congratulation says. Lukashenka expressed hope for a “soon meeting” with Erdogan.

At around 22:30 Moscow time, Erdogan was congratulated by Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia.

“Congratulations to President Erdogan on his re-election. I look forward to continuing our joint work for the complete normalization of relations between our countries,” Pashinyan wrote on his Twitter.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi congratulated Erdogan around 22:50 Moscow time.

This was announced by the official representative of the Egyptian leader Ahmed Fahmi on Facebook (banned in Russia; owned by the Meta corporation, recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation).

“The President sent a message to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in connection with his victory in the elections and re-election to the presidency for a new term,” the message says.

At 23.20 Moscow time on May 28, Erdogan was congratulated by the Chancellor of Germany, the largest EU economy, Olaf Scholz (ethnic Turks are the largest diaspora in the country, there are about 3 million people). “Germany and Turkey are close partners and allies, we are closely connected with each other from a social and economic point of view. Now we want to promote common themes with enthusiasm [сотрудничества]”, wrote Scholz on Twitter.

At 23:50, US President Joe Biden congratulated Erdogan.

He noted that he looks forward to “further cooperation as NATO allies in the areas of bilateral politics and common global challenges” (quoted on Twitter).

Shortly before midnight, French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Erdogan on his victory on Twitter.

“We will continue to move forward together with President Erdogan, to whom I convey my congratulations on his re-election,” the head of state wrote. According to Macron, the two states together need to solve such major problems as “the return of peace to Europe, the future of our Euro-Atlantic Alliance, the Mediterranean Sea.”

One of the first, on the night of May 29, the incumbent Turkish president on his re-election was congratulated on Twitter by the prime ministers of the Scandinavian countries, including Sweden, whose entry into NATO Ankara is blocking under the pretext of supporting the PKK, which it recognizes as a terrorist, and not extraditing its activists to Turkey. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson conveyed “congratulations on his re-election” to Erdogan and stressed that “our common security is a priority for the future.”

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, congratulating Erdogan on behalf of the country, noted that “Turkey is an important friend and partner of Norway, an important ally in NATO.” “I look forward to further strengthening and deepening our relationship,” Støre wrote. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen commented on the election results in similar words.

On Sunday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky also congratulated Erdogan.

“We look forward to further strengthening the strategic partnership for the benefit of our countries, as well as to strengthening cooperation to ensure the security and stability of Europe,” he wrote on his Twitter page.

Second after Aliyev in chronology (around 20:20 Moscow time), Erdogan was congratulated on a “convincing historical victory” in the elections in a telephone conversation by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the press service of the Uzbek leader reports.

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Erdogan on Twitter on the morning of May 29 on “a well-deserved victory in the second round of the presidential elections in Turkey.” President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, congratulating Erdogan, called him “dear brother”.