Western leaders congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his victory on Sunday but remained cautious regarding the path the Turkish President will choose for his country.
Turkey, which for centuries, has been a bridge between Europe and Asia, under Erdogan took an anti-European stance and has shifted from its secular roots towards conservatism as Erdogan built alliances with conservative Muslim parties to remain in power.
Congratulations President @RTErdogan on your re-election. I look forward to continuing our work together & preparing for the #NATOSummit in July.— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) May 28, 2023
Even as congratulations poured in from European leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the NATO chief is likely to be concerned about Erdogan’s unwillingness to lift the veto on Sweden’s membership.
Fransa ve Türkiye’nin birlikte üstesinden geleceği büyük sınamalar var. Avrupa’ya barışın geri gelmesi, Avrakdeniz İttifakımızın geleceği, Akdeniz denizi. Yeniden seçilmesi dolayısıyla tebriklerimi ilettiğim Başkan Erdoğan ile birlikte, ilerlemeye devam edeceğiz.— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 28, 2023
Problems also lie closer home in Syria as Turkey controls the last rebel bastion in northwest Syria.
Congratulations to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election. I look forward to further strengthening the longstanding, friendly bilateral ties between Australia and Türkiye. ????????????????— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) May 29, 2023
It has been widely perceived as the biggest military and political ally of the Syrian opposition but Erdogan has become close to Russian President Vladimir Putin – who backs the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime – and Erdogan too has shown that he wants to improve his relationship with neighbours including Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt and Armenia.
Deutschland und die Türkei sind enge Partner und Alliierte – auch gesellschaftlich und wirtschaftlich sind wir stark miteinander verbunden. Gratulation an Präsident Erdoğan zur Wiederwahl. Nun wollen wir unsere gemeinsamen Themen mit frischem Elan vorantreiben.— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) May 28, 2023
Erdogan has a strong position in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. He emerged as a mediator and despite being a NATO founder member remains close to Putin.
Congratulations to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye on his re-election.I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 28, 2023
Turkey did not impose sanctions on Russia and the Biden administration does not want to punish Istanbul fearing that it may bring Putin and Erdogan closer.
I congratulate @RTErdogan on winning the elections.I look 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.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 28, 2023
Turkey, with helping mediate the grain deal and condemning the war, has given Ukrainian President Zelensky hope that he will not side with Moscow, not yet.
Cumhurbaşkanlığı seçimlerindeki zaferinden dolayı Cumhurbaşkanı @RTErdogan kutluyorum. Avrupa'nın güvenliği ve istikrarı için işbirliğimizin geliştirilmesini ve ülkelerimizin yararına stratejik ortaklığımızın daha da güçlendirilmesini umuyoruz.— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 28, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday and said he wishes India and Turkey to cooperate on global issues and strengthen bilateral relations.
Congratulations @RTErdogan on re-election as the President of Türkiye! I am confident that our bilateral ties and cooperation on global issues will continue to grow in the coming times.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 29, 2023
Relations between Istanbul and New Delhi hit a rough patch after Istanbul sided with Islamabad on the Kashmir issue.
Gokhan Cınkara, a political analyst with Turkey’s Necmettin Erbakan University, told the Times of India earlier this year that Erdogan could “open a new chapter in relations with India in his new term, mainly because of the ongoing political instability in Pakistan.”
Turkey’s longest-serving leader was tested like never before in what was widely seen as the country’s most consequential election in its 100-year history as a post-Ottoman republic. Kemal Kilicdaroglu pushed Erdogan into Turkey’s first runoff on May 14 and narrowed the margin further in the second round, news agency AFP reported.
(with inputs from Reuters and the Guardian)
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