Turkish president, First Lady experiencing 'mild symptoms' after testing positive for COVID-19

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and first lady Emine Erdogan have had “mild symptoms” of COVID-19, after they tested positive on Saturday for the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

"This morning, our doctor performed our routine check-up. Thankfully, there is nothing negative. We have mild symptoms today as well, and we're continuing to work from home with Mrs. Emine," Erdogan said in a tweet on Sunday.

Erdogan has received an outpouring of well-wishes from world leaders and political figures.

Those who sent messages include Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele, Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

In separate tweets, Erdogan expressed his and the first lady’s thanks to the leaders for their good wishes.

Also, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev called Erdogan to wish the presidential couple a quick recovery. During the conversation, the two leaders exchanged views over the phone on various aspects of Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship.