Erdogan may pay his first foreign visit to Moldova

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may depart from the tradition of making the first foreign visits after the elections to Azerbaijan and Northern Cyprus and attend the summit of the European political community in Moldova, the leader's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has said.

"You know, traditionally after the elections, the first visits the president makes to Azerbaijan and Cyprus [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - ed.]. But this time there is a summit of the European political community scheduled for Thursday [June 1] in Moldova. If there is a decision to this effect, it is not ruled out that the first foreign trip will take place there. If the decision is made not to go there, then the visits will take place, as always, to Azerbaijan and Cyprus," he said on A Haber TV, TASS reports.

Kalın specified that in case of a decision not to attend the summit in Chisinau, foreign trips will take place after Erdogan takes the oath in Parliament and the inauguration ceremony.

"And after that, a thank-you tour inside the country is already planned. The president will definitely visit earthquake-hit regions. And in general, visits to the regions will continue," he said.

Additionally, Kalın, who won the second round of Türkiye’s presidential election, said he plans to invite a number of foreign leaders to Erdogan's upcoming inauguration.

Erdogan's spokesman specified that the date of the ceremony would depend on the timing of the announcement of the final election results.

"It could be on June 1 or 2, we don't know exactly. Depending on that. The swearing-in ceremony and the announcement of the cabinet could take place on June 1," Kalyn told reporters.

During the interview, he also noted that holding the presidential election the day before the 570th anniversary of the Turkish conquest of Istanbul was a very significant coincidence.

"I would like to take this opportunity to commemorate with mercy all the ancestors who made this land our homeland," Erdogan's spokesman said.