Türkiye not to allow its politics to be directed by covers of magazines: President Erdogan

ANKARA

Türkiye will not allow its politics to be directed by the covers of magazines, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"We will not allow our domestic politics to be directed and the national will to be swayed by the covers of magazines, which are the operational apparatus of global powers," Erdogan said on Twitter.

Erdogan's remarks came after British magazine The Economist targeted the Turkish president with a cover that said "Save democracy," "Erdogan must go," "Vote!"

In Türkiye, the presidential and parliamentary elections will take place on May 14. On the presidential ballot, voters will choose between Erdogan, who is seeking reelection, leading opposition candidates Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Muharrem Ince, and Sinan Ogan.

Meanwhile, 24 political parties and 151 independent candidates are vying for seats in the 600-member Turkish parliament.

About Türkiye's foreign policy, the president said with the efforts of Turkish diplomats, the country has implemented a "self-confident, entrepreneurial and humanitarian" policy.

"By increasing the number of our foreign representatives from 163 to 260, we became one of the five countries with the largest diplomatic network in the world," he added.

Türkiye stands by brothers with all our means when necessary, as in Libya, Syria, and Karabakh, which was liberated after 30 years of Armenian occupation, Erdogan stressed, adding that Ankara contributes to the solution of regional crises through the Black Sea grain deal.

"As a state whose history is full of glorious victories, we are coming to the place we deserve in the international system.

"... Hopefully, with the Century of Türkiye, we will carry all these diplomatic achievements to the top," Erdogan added.