Ailing Erdogan communicates by video link at opening of Turkiye’s first nuclear power plant
Istanbul, Turkey (AFP):
Turkiye’s ailing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday emerged from a two-day absence and spoke by video link with Vladimir Putin at a virtual ceremony unveiling a Russian-built nuclear power plant.
The 69-year-old leader suspended all campaigning for Turkiye’s pivotal May 14 election after getting sick during a live TV interview on Tuesday evening.
Erdogan said he had fallen sick while hopping between five cities for rallies and public project launches at the start of the week.
Health Minister Fehrettin Koca revealed on Thursday that Erdogan had contracted “infectious gastroenteritis” — a short-term illness caused by the inflammation of the digestive tract.
The scare forced Erdogan to cancel events on Wednesday and then stay at home instead of travelling to the Mediterranean coast for Thursday’s grand opening of Turkiye’s first nuclear power plant.
In his video appearance, Erdogan looked frail as he addressed Putin from behind his presidential desk.
“Our country has risen to the league of nations with nuclear power, albeit after a 60-year delay,” Erdogan stated.
Meanwhile, polls suggest that either Erdogan is running neck-and-neck or losing against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Turkiye’s most momentous election in decades.
The president’s powerful media director Fahrettin Altun posted screen shots on Twitter of Chinese state media and some popular accounts speculating about Erdogan’s condition being more serious than officially reported.
“We categorically reject such baseless claims regarding President Erdogan’s health,” Altun wrote.
“No amount of disinformation can dispute the fact that the Turkish people stand with their leader and Erdogan and his AK Party are set to win the May 14 elections.”
Guarded secret
However, rumours about Erdogan’s health have been circulating since he underwent two gastrointestinal surgeries in 2011 and 2012.
The operations left him with a slight hitch in his gait that appears to have fed some of the social media speculation.
Turkiye’s main opposition leaders all quickly tweeted messages wishing Erdogan a speedy recovery.
Erdogan’s video linkup with Putin unveiled a project that Russia began building during a chill in Ankara’s relations with its Western allies in 2018
Construction of the Akkuyu plant was complicated by sanctions the West imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
“Yes, we have certain logistical problems,” Akkuyu plant director Sergei Butskikh told reporters on the eve of the launch.
“The transportation routes are getting longer. Not all of the shipping companies are able to work with us. So here yes, we feel the sanctions,” he added.
“But this has not affected the quality of the plant’s construction.”
Erdogan has been one of the few world leaders to maintain good relations with Putin by refusing to sign up to Western sanctions on Russia and trying to mediate an end to the war.
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