Recep Tayyip Erdogan takes oath as President of Turkike for third time

ANKARA, June 03 (SABAH): The newly elected President of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took the oath of office on Saturday in the capital Ankara.

“I, as president, swear upon my honour and integrity before the great Turkish nation and history to safeguard the existence and independence of the state … to abide by the constitution, the rule of law, democracy, the principles and reforms of Ataturk, and the principles of the secular republic,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a ceremony at the parliament in Ankara, which was broadcast live on television.

According to media reports, heads of many countries, including Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, participated in the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected president.

President Recep Tayyip was elected as the President of Turkiye for the third time after winning the run-off stage on May 28.

It should be noted that the party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in power for almost two decades, he was elected as the Prime Minister of Turkiye in 2003 and became the President of the country in 2014, so now his tenure has entered the third decade.

Turkiye’s longest serving leader, Erdogan won 52.2% support in a May 28 runoff vote. His election victory upended the predictions of most opinion polls and came despite a cost-of-living crisis that was seen to have dampened his prospects.

Turkiye went to the polls last Sunday for a presidential runoff after no candidate secured more than 50% of the vote needed for an outright victory in the first round May 14. Erdogan won with 52.18% of the vote, while opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 47.82%, according to official results.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached Ankara on a two-day official visit to Turkiye on Friday to attend the inauguration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On his arrival at the Ankara Airport, the Prime Minister was received by senior officers of the Turkish foreign ministry and Pakistan’s ambassador in Turkiye.

The Prime Minister is visiting Turkiye on the invitation of Turkish President Erdogan who stood victorious in the second round of elections held on May 28.

He is accompanied by a delegation comprising Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb and Special Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will also interact with the Turkish investors and the business community.

Meanwhile in a tweet, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he will convey the warmest greetings to Recep Tayyip Erdogan on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan on his re-election.

He said the fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkiye are set to deepen further in line with our shared resolve and common destiny.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said the upcoming 7th Meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad will provide the right avenue to take the momentum of our strategic partnership forward.

He said we have yet to unlock the potential of our multifaceted relationship and efforts are being made in that direction. The Prime Minister will meet Turk business community and investors.