Erdoğan extends New Year greetings to world leaders
ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent New Year messages to world leaders on Dec. 31, stressing the need for further cooperation in politics and economy.
The leaders that Erdoğan extended good wishes to included U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In his New Year message to Trump, Erdoğan addressed his U.S. counterpart as “Dear president, my dear friend,” stating that the last year had been a period in which Turkey and the U.S. overcame difficulties and showed reciprocal efforts to “bring bilateral relations to a desired level.”
“I believe that we’ll elevate our relations, which rely on mutual respect and sincere dialogue, to the level that our strategic partnership entails and that the future of our cooperation will be brighter from now on. In an international environment where we face common tests, I want to underline my belief that Turkish-American cooperation will continue to contribute to global peace and stability. By this token, I congratulate your New Year, I wish you and fellow American people well-being and welfare,” Erdoğan said in his message.
Erdoğan’s New Year message followed Trump’s decision to withdraw ground troops from Syria. Trump made the decision after a phone call with Erdoğan last month.
In his New Year message to Putin, Erdoğan stressed the importance of bilateral relations and stressed his expectation for the accelerated continuation of these ties.
On Dec. 30 Erdoğan received written New Year greetings from Putin. In the message, Putin said Turkey and Russia will continue to work together for strengthening peace, security and stability in Eurasia.
The Russian leader stressed that through their joint efforts, Moscow and Ankara were making a decisive contribution to “fighting terrorism in Syria” and advancing the process of political settlement in that country.