Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Sunday congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his historic re-election as president of Turkiye.

Taking to Twitter, PM Shehbaz wrote, “Heartiest congratulations to my dear brother H.E. President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] on his historic re-election as President, Republic of Turkiye. He is one of few world leaders whose politics has been anchored in public service.”

Heartiest congratulations to my dear brother H.E. President @RTErdogan on his historic re-election as President, Republic of Turkiye. He is one of few world leaders whose politics has been anchored in public service. He has been a pillar of strength for the oppressed Muslims & a…

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) May 28, 2023

PM Shehbaz observed that President Erdogan had been a pillar of strength for the oppressed Muslims and a fervent voice for their inalienable rights.

“His presidential victory [and] that of AKP in parliamentary elections is significant in so many ways, reflecting the trust [and] confidence of the Turkish people in his dynamic leadership,” he said.

Commenting on the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Turkiye, PM Shehbaz said that they would continue to stay on an upward trajectory.

“I keenly look forward to working with him to further deepen our strategic partnership in line with the excellent brotherhood between our two peoples,” he further said.

Erdogan wins third term after victory in runoff

Recep Tayyip Erdogan cemented his status as the most important figure in modern Turkish history after his victory in Sunday’s presidential runoff extended his transformative two-decade rule to 2028.

The ultimate political survivor, Erdogan, 69, has overcome jail and a bloody 2016 coup attempt to steer his country through an era of diplomatic clout, economic development and political strife.

An unprecedented opposition coalition, galvanised by a biting economic crisis and fury over a calamitous February earthquake, represented the toughest national electoral challenge for the Islamic-rooted conservative.

But while polling indicated he was closer to defeat than ever, Erdogan beat the odds yet again to come within a whisker of winning in the first round before clinching victory on Sunday.

He defeated his secular opposition rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, by four percentage points — closer than any other election, but enough to end his political career undefeated in national polls.

His aura of invincibility reaffirmed none can deny Turkey’s longest-serving leader is the country’s most consequential since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the revered founder of the post-Ottoman republic.