Russian President Vladimir Putin joined a chorus of world leaders congratulating Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday over the runoff election results, although votes are still being counted and official results have yet to be released.
"The victory in the elections was a natural result of your selfless work as head of the Republic of Turkey, clear evidence of the Turkish people's support for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy," Putin said in a statement.
Though Turkey is a member of the NATO alliance that Russia views as an existential threat, Erdogan and Putin have what the Turkish President called a "special" relationship. Erdogan said in an exclusive interview ahead of the presidential election runoff that the two nations "need each other in every field possible."
Putin is one of several world leaders who have congratulated Erdogan as results have started come in.
Here are some of the messages Erdogan has received so far:
- Afghanistan: The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted a congratulations message.
- Algeria: President Abdelmadjid Tebboune wished Erdogan the "warmest and most sincere congratulations" on behalf of himself and the Algerian people.
- Armenia: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Erdogan on Twitter and said he was "looking forward to continuing working together towards full normalization of relations between our countries." The two nations have historically had frosty diplomatic relations, in part due to Turkey's refusal to recognize the mass killings of Armenians in World War I as genocide. Turkey maintains that the deaths occurred in wartime and that there were losses on both sides.
- Azerbaijan: President Ilham Aliyev made a congratulatory phone call to President Erdogan, who also accepted an invitation to visit Azerbaijan.
- France: President Emmanuel Macron tweeted his congratulations to Erdogan in French and Turkish, highlighting the "immense challenges" the two nations must face together.
- Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban applauded Erdogan's "unquestionable" electoral victory.
- Iran: President Ebrahim Raisi congratulated Erdogan and wished for the continuation of the two nations' "friendly relations," which will "will further strengthen and the close cooperation between the two countries will provide more suitable conditions for strengthening the peace and stability and development of the region."
- Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Shari said Erdogan's win was "significant in so many ways" and praised the Turksih president for being "one of few world leaders whose politics has been anchored in public service" and a "pillar of strength for the oppressed Muslims and a fervent voice for their inalienable rights."
- Qatar: Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani tweeted a congratulatory message to Erdogan and wished him success in his new term.
- Uzbekistan: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated Erdogan over a phone call.