Erdoğan exchanges Eid wishes with counterparts

ISTANBUL-Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s president on May 24 exchanged greetings with his counterparts from Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Iran, Oman and Turkmenistan for Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday following the holy month of Ramadan.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on the phone with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, said Turkey's Communications Directorate.

“Exchanging greetings on Eid al-Fitr, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional issues as well as cooperation in the fight against COVID-19,” the directorate said on Twitter.

The president also discussed cooperation against COVID-19, as well as bilateral ties and regional issues with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on May 25, the directorate said in a statement.

The statement said that Erdoğan held a phone call with Tokayev to exchange views on strengthening bilateral relations and regional developments.

Erdoğan also spoke with Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan's founding president, on the phone.

The leaders also exchanged greetings for Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, it added.

In a separate statement, the directorate said that Erdoğan also spoke with Pakistani President Arif Alvi over the phone.

The two leaders exchanged holiday greetings and discussed cooperation in the fight against coronavirus as well as regional developments.

The Turkish and Iranian presidents discussed cooperation in the fight against COVID-19, plus bilateral ties and regional issues, according to the directorate.

Erdoğan and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani also exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional developments. The two leaders also exchanged greetings for Eid al-Fitr.

In another phone call, Erdoğan and Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow exchanged holiday greetings and discussed steps to strengthen bilateral relations as well as cooperation against the virus.

Furthermore, Erdoğan spoke by phone with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said of Oman. Exchanging greetings for Eid al-Fitr, the two leaders also discussed bilateral relations and regional issues.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The U.S., Russia, Brazil, and several European countries are currently the hardest hit in the world.