Congratulations and wishes of success continued to pour in for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Monday after he won a historic runoff vote that gave him five more years in Türkiye’s top office.
With 99.43% of the votes tallied, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) confirmed Erdoğan’s victory with 52.14% against his challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s 47.86% late Sunday.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron were among world leaders congratulating the Turkish leader, as China, NATO, the U.N., and many others expressed the desire to advance cooperation with Türkiye.
Biden said he hoped to work with Erdoğan on "shared global challenges.”
"I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges," Biden tweeted, making no mention of recent tensions in the bilateral relationship.
Putin, who has collaborated closely with Erdoğan on key international issues despite some disagreements, told Türkiye's leader that his win was "the logical result of his dedicated work."
"Your victory in these elections is the logical result of your dedicated work as head of the Turkish Republic, clear evidence of the Turkish people's support for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy," Putin said, according to the Kremlin website.
China extended well-wishes to President Erdoğan on his reelection, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
"We support Türkiye in taking a development path that suits its national conditions and hope that Türkiye will continue to make new achievements in its development under the leadership of President Erdoğan," she added.
Beijing, Mao said, China "attaches great importance to its relations with Türkiye."
"In recent years, under the guidance of the two heads of state, the two countries have achieved fruitful cooperation in various fields, benefiting our two peoples," she continued.
"China is willing to work together with Türkiye to push our strategic cooperative relations to new heights," Mao added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc, which Erdoğan aspires for Türkiye to join, wanted to strengthen ties with the country.
"I congratulate (Erdoğan) on winning the elections. I look forward to continuing building the EU-Turkey relationship," she wrote on Twitter, using an alternate spelling for Türkiye.
"It is of strategic importance for both the EU and Türkiye to work on advancing this relationship for the benefit of our people."
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also sent congratulations.
"Congratulations President (Erdoğan) on your re-election. I look forward to continuing our work together and preparing for the NATO Summit in July," he tweeted.
U.N. chief Antonio Guterres congratulated Erdoğan on his reelection, the secretary-general's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement Sunday.
"He looks forward to further strengthening the cooperation between Türkiye and the United Nations," Dujarric added.
French leader Emmanuel Macron said the two nations had "immense challenges" to work on together.
Writing on Twitter, Macron said these included the "return of peace to Europe."
"With President Erdoğan, who I congratulate, we will continue to move forward," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the win for Erdoğan, who has positioned himself as a mediator in the conflict since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We count on the further strengthening of the strategic partnership for the good of our countries, as well as the strengthening of cooperation for the security and stability of Europe," Zelenskyy said in a post on Twitter, where he congratulated Erdoğan on his victory.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Erdoğan's election victory in a phone call on Monday, the Presidential Communications Directorate said.
Noting that Germany wants to make progress with Türkiye in issues of common interest, the German Chancellor told Erdoğan that he believes they will take steps to take bilateral relations to the next level.
Scholz hailed the countries as "close partners and allies" whose "people and economies are deeply intertwined."
"Congratulations to President Erdoğan – together we want to advance our common agenda with a fresh impetus," Scholz wrote on Twitter.
The German chancellor also invited Erdoğan to visit Berlin, the government said.
"The Chancellor emphasised the close ties between Germany and Turkey, not least as joint allies in NATO. Both agreed to approach the cooperation between the two governments with fresh impetus and to agree on common priorities at an early stage," said a press statement from the German government, adding that Scholz had invited Erdoğan for "an inaugural visit."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "I am confident that our bilateral ties and cooperation on global issues will continue to grow in the coming times."
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said Erdoğan was "a pillar of strength for the oppressed Muslims and a fervent voice for their inalienable rights.
"His presidential victory and that of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in parliamentary elections is significant in so many ways, reflecting the trust & confidence of the Turkish people in his dynamic leadership," he tweeted.
President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE looked "forward to working together to further enhance the strategic partnership between our two countries."
May elections, both presidential and parliamentary on May 14 and the runoff on May 28, have been closely watched worldwide and broadly described as the “most important elections” in modern Türkiye’s history.
