Macron, May, Merkel, Putin congratulate Turkey's Erdoğan

European leaders and Russian leader Vladimir Putin congratulated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 25 on his presidential election "win"
Tuesday, 26 June 2018 17:10

French President Emmanuel Macron has congratulated re-elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections.

"The French president has congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and wished the Turkish people success in the economic and social development of their country and in the democratic functioning of their institutions," an Elysee Palace source said.

Macron stressed the importance of a calmer dialogue between Turkey and the European Union, the source added.

BRITISH PM THERESA MAY

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday congratulated Erdoğan for his election victory and said she hoped the two countries could continue to work together on security, trade and the situation in Syria.

"The Prime Minister reiterated the importance of the bilateral relationship ... and expressed her desire to continue working in partnership with President Erdogan and his government on our shared priorities, including security cooperation, trade and investment, the situation in Syria and supporting a political settlement in Cyprus," a statement said.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN

President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated Erdoğan on his re-election triumph in a phone call, after saying the result showed the Turkish leader's "great political authority" and mass support.

On a call Putin and Erdoğan confirmed their interest in "deepening partnership ties between the two countries", the Kremlin said, singling out priority projects such as the TurkStream gas pipeline and Turkey's first nuclear power plant being built by Moscow.

GERMAN CHANCELLOR MERKEL

German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants Turkey to be a stable and diverse country it can partner with to tackle the flow of migrants to Europe.

Congratulating Erdoğan on his election victory, Merkel said Monday the two countries are bound by "many years of friendship" and close personal ties between its citizens.

Merkel said both Germany and Turkey were deeply affected by the upheaval in the Middle East in recent years and that Ankara had "shown great responsibility."

She said Germany wants "to be the partner of a stable and diverse Turkey, where democratic participation and protection of the rule of law are strengthened."

On Sunday, Turkey held its early presidential and parliamentary elections. Erdogan secured 52.6 percent of the vote with 99 percent of ballots counted.