The
presidents of 17 countries will come to Ankara on July 9 to attend
president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s oath-taking ceremony, pro-government
Yeni Akit newspaper reported on Thursday.
Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Guinea, Somali, Zambia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Georgia are among the countries to be
represented by their presidents during the ceremony.
insidenewsThe list of attendees include Western Balkan countries that are
important for President Erdoğan’s policy of increasing Turkey’s
influence in the Balkans, as well as countries from Africa which Erdoğan
sees a priority as a result of Africa’s economic potential.
Erdoğan and Venezuelan President Madura, whose governments have both
been left largely isolated due both to their ideological distance from
the international community and growing concerns over rights abuses,
forged a close relationship ahead of the elections held on June 24.