Erdoğan congratulates Biden for election win after days of silence

Duvar English

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Nov. 10 congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the U.S. presidential election, days after outlets declared him victorious. 

In his message published on the Turkish Presidency's website, Erdoğan reiterated Ankara's "determination to work closely with the U.S. administration" in the coming period, adding that "the strong cooperation and alliance" between the two countries would continue to contribute to world peace.

"I congratulate you on your election success and express my sincere wishes for the peace and prosperity of the people of the United States of America," Erdoğan said.

"Today, the challenges we face at the global and regional level require us to further develop and strengthen these relations based on common interests and values," he said.

Recalling that he has met Biden on many occasions when the latter was vice president, Erdoğan said the Turkey-U.S. relations are of strategic nature and based on deep-rooted foundations.

Erdoğan thanks Trump for ‘warm friendship,’ ‘sincere, determined vision’

The Turkish Presidency said on Nov. 10 that Erdoğan had sent a message to Trump as well.

“However the official election results may be, I thank you for the sincere and determined vision you set out during your 4-year term in order for the relations between Turkey and the U.S. to improve on the basis of shared interests and values,” Erdoğan said in the message.

“On this occasion, I sincerely thank you once again for your accustomed warm friendship and express my sincere wishes for the peace and prosperity of the people of the United States of America,” he added.

The messages came a day after a spokesman for Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said that Turkey will congratulate the winner of the U.S. election after the result of the vote is finalized.

Speaking at a news conference after an AKP meeting, Ömer Çelik said Ankara would congratulate and call the next U.S. president once the result is set, “out of respect for the United States and the American people.” “We are waiting for the final results … because there are objections and other disputes,” Çelik said.

Erdoğan remains silent as world leaders convey congratulatory messages to Biden

Relations between Ankara and Biden soured in August when the latter said that a new approach is needed against “autocrat” Erdoğan and voiced support for the opposition.

Biden’s comments to New York Times editors resurfaced in a video that made him the most popular topic on Twitter in Turkey on Aug. 15.

Biden says in the video recorded on Dec. 16 2019 – before he emerged as the Democratic candidate – that he is “very concerned” about Erdoğan’s approach to Kurds in Turkey, his partial military cooperation with Russia, and access to U.S. airfields in the country, a NATO ally.

“What I think we should be doing is taking a very different approach to him now, making it clear that we support opposition leadership,” Biden said in the video.

His remarks drew ire at the time, with AKP officials lining up to condemn Biden.

Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said at the time that his comments “reflect games and an interventionist approach towards Turkey” and are inconsistent with current diplomatic relations.