Russia's Putin congratulates Erdogan on Turkey referendum

The Turkish government now has the mandate to push forward with Erdogan-backed reforms to the constitution after Turkish citizens approved them in a referendum on Sunday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan [FILE PHOTO]
TRT World and Agencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan [FILE PHOTO]

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after Turkish citizens approved constitutional changes in a referendum on Sunday, Turkish state media said.

The referendum asked voters to choose "yes" or "no" on 18 constitutional amendments, one that will see the country switch from a parliamentary to a presidential system. According to unofficial results, the "yes" campaign won with 51.41 percent, while the "no" votes stood at 48.59 percent.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the results of Turkish referendum should be respected.

"The referendum is a sovereign affair of the Republic of Turkey. We believe that everyone should respect the will of the Turkish people," Peskov said.Putin's phone call comes a day after US President Donald Trump also congratulated Erdogan over the referendum result.

Turkey's "yes" campaign was led by the governing AK Party and supported by the right-wing MHP. The "no" camp was led by main opposition CHP and supported by the HDP.

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