President Halimah, PM Lee congratulate Turkey’s President Erdogan on his re-election
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his wife Emine Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, on May 28, 2023.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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SINGAPORE - President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election
Mr Erdogan’s victory extends his tenure as the longest-serving leader in the country since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk established modern Turkey from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire a century ago.
In her letter dated Monday, Madam Halimah extended her congratulations to Mr Erdogan, noting that the people of Turkey have given him a mandate that reflected their confidence in his leadership.
“Turkey and Singapore enjoy warm and broad-based relations,” she said.
“We have strong links in many areas including trade and investment, science and technology, and transport. We also have good cultural relations stemming from historical linkages between South-east Asia and the Ottoman Empire.”
Madam Halimah wished Mr Erdogan continued good health and success, and said that she looks forward to working closely with him to “deepen the mutually beneficial ties between Singapore and Turkey”.
PM Lee also congratulated Mr Erdogan in his letter on Sunday, highlighting the “longstanding and warm relationship” that both countries have, which is underpinned by a strategic partnership and the Turkey-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.
“We enjoy close cooperation in the economic, cultural, and people-to-people spheres, and have growing collaboration in forward-looking areas including the digital economy,” said PM Lee, adding that Singapore is also pleased to continue supporting Turkey in its efforts to further deepen engagement in the region under the Asia Anew Initiative.
“I look forward to working closely with you to enhance our bilateral partnership and I wish you every success in your upcoming term of office,” he said.
“I look forward to meeting you again soon.”
Official results showed Mr Erdogan winning 52.1 per cent of the vote on Sunday, against his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s 47.9 per cent.
The election had been seen as one of the most consequential yet for Turkey, with the opposition believing it had a strong chance of unseating Mr Erdogan and reversing his policies after his popularity was hit by a cost-of-living crisis.
Instead, victory reinforced his image of invincibility, after having already redrawn domestic, economic, security and foreign policy in the Nato member country of 85 million people.
