JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally congratulated Joe Biden. Erdogan also expressed his gratitude to Donald Trump.
Erdogan made the statement on Wednesday, November 11. It took several days since Biden won the US election electoral votes, until Erdogan congratulated Biden.
Many analysts think Erdogan's stance reflects the close personal relationship between him and Trump. Erdogan sent a message to Trump that whatever the outcome of the US election, he was grateful for Trump's "warm friendship during his four years as President.
Turkey and the US relations during the Trump administration are relatively warm, even though the two countries have also been involved in hostilities. One of them concerns US support for Syrian Kurdish militias, which Erdogan considers a major threat to Turkey's security.
Continuing his remarks, Erdogan also expressed hope about closer ties between the two countries. Erdogan told Biden that he wanted to further develop and strengthen relations between the two countries.
"Congratulations to you on the success of your elections and conveying my sincere wish for the peace and well-being of the US people," Erdogan said in a statement released by his office.
Other issues straining Ankara and Washington are Turkey's purchase of advanced Russian missile defense systems. In addition, there is also US refusal to extradite the Turkish cleric who Erdogan accuses of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016.
The Turkish government was disturbed by Biden's remarks in an interview with the New York Times in December last year that called Erdogan an "autocrat." Biden also criticized Erdogan's policies towards Kurds.
Erdogan's side responded by calling Biden's statement arrogant and hypocritical. Erdogan's stance is one of the most anticipated, apart from that of other world leaders with close ties to the United States, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, all of whom have yet to congratulate Biden.
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