Putin congratulates Erdogan on re-election as Turkish president

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election as president, the Kremlin press service said on Monday. “The head of the Russian state stressed that the outcome of the vote fully confirms Erdogan’s great political authority, broad support of the course pursued under his leadership towards solving vital social and economic tasks facing Turkey, and enhancing the country’s foreign policy positions,” according to the Kremlin’s statement. Erdogan took 52.5 percent of the vote in the presidential race, with more than 99 percent of the votes counted. His AK Party took 42.5 percent in the parliamentary election. The party was boosted by its nationalist allies, which exceeded expectations and took 11.1 percent, Reuters said.