World leaders congratulate Turkey's victorious Erdogan
From Russia to Afghanistan, presidents and prime ministers have come out to support the incumbent Erdogan.
3 min read
Erdogan has received praise from around the world for winning again [Getty images]
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin were among world leaders congratulating Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won Sunday's historic runoff election to extend his two-decade rule.
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.
Russia's President Putin, who has collaborated closely with Erdogan on key international issues despite some disagreements, told Turkey's leader that 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.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission of the European Union, which Erdogan aspires for Turkey to join, said the bloc wanted to strengthen ties with the country.
"I congratulate (Erdogan) on winning the elections. 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."
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the NATO military alliance, of which Turkey is a member, also sent congratulations.
"Congratulations President (Erdogan) on your re-election. I look forward to continuing our work together and preparing for the NATO Summit in July," he tweeted.
UN chief Antonio Guterres congratulated Erdogan on his re-election, the secretary-general's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement Sunday.
"He looks forward to further strengthening the cooperation between Turkiye and the United Nations," Dujarric added.
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.
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 in a post on Twitter, where he congratulated Erdogan on his victory.
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.
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."
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.
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".
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".
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