Biden to speak with Erdogan following victory

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – After winning the Turkish presidential elections, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to have a phone call with US President Joe Biden on Monday evening, Turkish channel NTV quoted presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin as saying.

On Sunday, Erdogan won his third term in the runoff round of the elections, securing 52.1 percent of the votes, according to Turkey’s Supreme Election Council. His rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, secured 47.9 percent.

On Sunday, Biden congratulated Erdogan on his victory. “I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges,” he said in a tweet.

Both leaders are expected to discuss Sweden’s accession into NATO and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Sweden’s bid has been held up by objections from Turkey and Hungary. Ankara accuses Stockholm of sheltering members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has launched an armed insurgency against Turkey since 1984, in addition to figures affiliated with Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who staged a coup in 2016.