World leaders, opposition figures wish Erdoğan, first lady speedy recovery from COVID-19

ANKARA

The Ukrainian, Azerbaijani and Qatari leaders and Turkish opposition figures have wished President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife, Emine Erdoğan, a speedy recovery after they were tested positive for COVID-19.

“After experiencing mild symptoms, my wife and I tested positive for COVID-19. We have a mild infection thankfully, which we learned to be the Omicron variant,” Erdoğan said in a tweet on Feb. 5. “We are on duty. We will continue to work from home. We look forward to your prayers,” he said.

In a Twitter message yesterday, Erdoğan informed that he and his wife passed through a routine control by his doctor. “There is no negative situation, the disease is mild. With Mrs. Emine, we are continuing to work,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan and his wife will spend the week-long quarantine in their residence in Istanbul and the president will continue to work and attend meetings online if he has to, his aides were reported as saying by the Turkish media.
First lady Emine Erdoğan, in a separate tweet, said they hoped to get through their illness together as soon as possible.

Erdoğan was due to attend an inauguration ceremony in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak on Saturday, but instead, he attended it via videoconference earlier in the day. During his online address, Erdoğan said that he cancelled his visit over difficult weather conditions.

Erdoğan had a busy schedule over the past week with crowded meetings and a visit to Ukraine. There was no statement from where the Erdoğan couple may have caught the virus.

World leaders convey messages

Leaders from mostly countries in the nearby region wished Erdoğan and his wife a speedy recovery. Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar, who himself was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, was one of the first to send a message to Ankara.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were other leaders that also conveyed their get well soon wishes.

“Ι wish President Erdogan and his wife a swift recovery from COVID-19,” Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter. Erdoğan thanked all the leaders in separate Twitter messages, stressing, “Thank you for your good wishes, Mr. Prime Minister. My wife and I extend my greetings to you, your family and the Greek people.”

Azerbaijan’s President İlham Aliyev called Erdoğan to wish him and his wife a quick recovery.

Opposition leaders join messages

The opposition leaders also wished a speedy recovery to Erdoğan and his wife, in separate messages.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Meral Akşener of the Good (İYİ) Party, Temel Karamollaoğlu of the Felicity Party, Gültekin Uysal of the Democrat Party as well as Ali Babacan and Ahmet Davutoğlu, the leaders of the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) and the Future Party, respectively, have conveyed messages to wish the Erdoğan couple a speedy recovery. Erdoğan thanked all those leaders in separate Twitter messages.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli called Erdoğan to express his wishes over the phone.