Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told re-porters on Friday that he had recovered from Covid-19 and would travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the start of next week, as planned.
“Thank God, I have easily overcome this [sick-ness] in a short time thanks to vaccinations,” he said after Friday prayers in Istanbul, adding he had tested negative “within four to five days” of learning he had contracted the virus.
Last Saturday, Erdoğan said he and his wife, Emine, had tested positive for the Omicron strain of Covid-19, shortly after the couple’s visit to Ukraine. The 67-year-old Erdoğan has been vaccinated against Covid-19 with two Sinovac shots and one BioNTech jab.
His wife Emine has not yet recovered, the presi-dent said, adding he hoped she would be able to join him in the UAE on Monday.
Last month, Erdoğan said his visit to the UAE was part of a wider effort to open a new chapter with other leaders in the Middle East. Further plans include a visit to Saudi Arabia, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to visit Turkey in March. Turkey-UAE ties frayed in 2017 when Turkey sided with Qatar while others in the region, led by Saudi Arabia, severed their ties with Doha.
While suffering from the virus, Erdoğan said he was continuing his work on domestic and interna-tional issues from his Istanbul residence, citing talks with third parties on tensions surrounding Ukraine and Russia.
Last week, Erdoğan offered to act as a mediator to resolve the crisis. Later on Friday, Erdoğan is scheduled to meet officials from the Organization of Turkic States, an intergovernmental group, according to the presidential website.—APP
