Erdogan calls to greet counterparts for Eid al-Fitr

By Emin Ileri

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has extended Eid al-Fitr holiday wishes to several of his counterparts worldwide as well as the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, a presidential source said Thursday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, the source stated that Erdogan had spoken on telephone with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Hamas leader Khaled Mashal.

Since the new moon signaling the start of the Eid – the three-day holiday that follows the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – can appear on different days in different countries, the beginning of the holiday can differ depending on the country.

This year, while Turkey and Muslims in the Balkans marked the first day of Eid on Tuesday, several Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East -- and others such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Malaysia – began Eid on Wednesday.

* Anadolu Agency’s Diyar Guldogan contributed to this report.