US President Biden congratulates Turkish counterpart Erdogan on his re-election

Washington [US], May 29 (ANI): US President Joe Biden on Monday congratulated his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election. Biden stated that he looked forward to continuing work together as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies. Biden tweeted, “Congratulations to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye on his re-election. I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges.” Biden’s statement comes after Erdogan was declared the winner of Turkey’s presidential runoff election on Sunday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election. Taking to his Twitter handle, Blinken called Turkey a “valued NATO ally and partner.” Blinken tweeted, “Congratulations to President Erdogan on re-election and to Turkiye’s voters on high turnout, reflecting a long democratic tradition. Turkiye is a valued @NATO Ally and partner. I look forward to our continued work together with the government chosen by the Turkish people.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won Turkey’s presidential election, extending his rule to a third decade, CNN reported. Erdogan defeated opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Sunday’s runoff vote.

Erdogan received 27,513,587 votes or 52.14 per cent of the votes cast, CNN reported citing the figures released by the country’s Supreme Election Council. Meanwhile, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 25,260,109 votes or 47.86 per cent. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived at the Presidential Palace to address massive crowds of supporters after being re-elected, as per the CNN report.

Addressing thousands of supporters outside the presidential palace, Erdogan celebrated his election to a third term and called the nation a “winner.” Erdogan said, “We are not the only winners, the winner is Turkey. The winner is our nation with all its segments, our democracy is the winner,” CNN reported. “Now is the time to put aside all the debates and conflicts regarding the election period and unite around our national goals and dreams. We make this call with all our heart,” he added.

Speaking at his party headquarters in Ankara, Kemal Kilicdaroglu said he would continue to fight until there is “real democracy” in Turkey. He called it the “most unfair election period” in Turkey’s history.

Kilicdaroglu said, “This was the most unfair election period in our history… We did not bow down to the climate of fear. In this election, the will of the people to change an authoritarian government became clear despite all the pressures.” He stated that what makes him sad is “the hard days ahead for our country.”