WASHINGTON - World leaders on Sunday congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election in a historic run-off vote.

“I look forward to continuing to work together as Nato allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges,” US President Joe Biden tweeted, making no mention of recent tensions in the bilateral relationship.

Ties between Turkey and the United States have been tested in recent years, including over crackdowns on dissent, military operations in Syria, Mr Erdogan’s close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin even amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as Ankara’s protestations over a bid by Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also offered his own congratulations to Mr Erdogan on Twitter, and called Turkey “a valued @Nato Ally and partner”.

“I look forward to our continued work together with the government chosen by the Turkish people,” he said.

Mr Blinken praised the high turnout rate on Sunday and the country’s “long democratic tradition”.

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday congratulated Mr Erdogan on his re-election.

He reiterated a strong relationship between Britain and Turkey, as economic partners and close Nato allies, according to a Downing Street statement. 

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, also sent his congratulations in a series of tweets, saying that Malaysia is looking forward to working closely with Turkey “to elevate our excellent bilateral relations”.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed the countries as “close partners and allies” whose “people and economies are deeply intertwined”.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said he counted on firming “the strategic partnership” between the two countries.

“We count on the further strengthening of the strategic partnership for the benefit of our countries, as well as the strengthening of cooperation for the security and stability of Europe,” Mr Zelensky said on Twitter.

Mr Putin on Sunday congratulated Mr Erdogan, who has collaborated closely with Russia on key international issues despite disagreements, on his re-election.

“Your victory in these elections is the logical result of your dedicated work as head of the Turkish Republic,” Mr Putin said, according to the Kremlin website.

Mr Putin told Mr Erdogan, who he called his “dear friend”, that his victory was “clear evidence of the Turkish people’s support for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy”.

The two leaders have not always seen eye-to-eye – backing opposing players in conflicts in the Middle East and the former Soviet Caucasus region – but they have developed strong ties over the years.

Most importantly, they see each other as reliable partners in challenging the West’s economic, military and political dominance.

Mr Erdogan, 69, was on track to narrowly beat 74-year-old opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu by 4 percentage points, near-complete vote results showed, in what was widely seen as the country’s most consequential election in its 100-year history as a republic.

Mr Kilicdaroglu pushed Mr Erdogan into Turkey’s first run-off on May 14, and narrowed the margin further in the second round.

The European Union and Nato, two organisations with which Mr Erdogan has repeatedly clashed, congratulated him on his re-election as well.

“Congratulations President (Erdogan) on your re-election. I look forward to continuing our work together and preparing for the Nato Summit in July,” tweeted Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg.

“I congratulate (Erdogan) on winning the elections. I look forward to continue building the EU-Turkiye relationship. It is of strategic importance for both the EU and Turkey to work on advancing this relationship, for the benefit of our people,” tweeted European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, referring to the country by its official name.

Mr Erdogan aspires for Turkey to join the EU.
AFP, REUTERS