News - Erdogan appears in public following rumors of illness

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a public appearance on Wednesday amidst local media reports suggesting that he was not feeling well. On Wednesday, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Turkish TV channels broadcasted live footage of the president's arrival at the ruling party's headquarters in Ankara. Erdogan, who exited his car unassisted, greeted party members, engaged in a brief conversation, and then entered the building. Erdogan had canceled a planned trip to Spain on the same day, where the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were set to meet as part of the third summit of the European Political Community. The Bloomberg agency, citing informed sources, attributed the trip cancellation to Erdogan's busy schedule. However, Turkish opposition media suggested that Erdogan might have been dealing with a cold.