May 29, 2023
No. 178
Türkiye held its presidential runoff election on May 28. The Turkish Supreme Election Council declared on May 29 the reelection of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party and the People’s Alliance. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has instructed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara to congratulate President Erdoğan on his reelection and the smooth completion of the elections on behalf of the government.
Bilateral relations between Taiwan and Türkiye have grown increasingly close in recent years. Since the launch of direct flights between Taipei and Istanbul in 2014, the two countries have signed more than 10 MOUs covering cooperation on such areas as disaster management, investment promotion, agriculture, technology, police administration, auditing, international aid, and small and medium-sized enterprises. When southern Türkiye was struck by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in February, Taiwan promptly dispatched a search and rescue team to disaster-hit areas, while the government and civil society coordinated monetary and in-kind donations to assist the disaster victims in rebuilding their homes. These efforts have demonstrated Taiwan’s humanitarian concern and capability to provide timely disaster relief abroad. All sectors of Türkiye have expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s charitable acts.
Amb. Anthony Chung-yi Ho, Director General of MOFA’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs, congratulated Representative Muhammed Berdibek of the Turkish Trade Office in Taipei by phone and expressed his wishes that bilateral cooperation and exchanges across all domains will continue to deepen in the future. (E)