President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used the Eid al-Adha holiday to deliver messages of national unity and regional stability, speaking separately with troops stationed along Türkiye’s western border and Turkish pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
Erdoğan on May 27 held a phone call with Turkish soldiers deployed near the Greek border in Edirne province, where Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and senior military commanders were visiting troops for the Muslim holiday. During the call, Erdoğan praised the armed forces and said Türkiye had become “a country that generates trust and stability” in its region and beyond.
According to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate and state-run Anadolu Agency, Erdoğan thanked the military for maintaining border security and protecting the country’s land, air and maritime domains. He also extended Eid greetings to all members of the Turkish Armed Forces serving both domestically and abroad.
The president separately spoke by phone with Turkish pilgrims performing the annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia, congratulating them on the Eid holiday and wishing that their pilgrimage would be accepted. Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum was among the officials accompanying Turkish pilgrims during the call.
The president’s holiday outreach coincided with reports that Erdoğan is seeking to maintain diplomatic momentum with Washington after recent contacts with Donald Trump and other international leaders. Bloomberg reported that Erdoğan is planning to meet Trump around a June 25 football match between Türkiye and the United States at SoFi Stadium in California, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The reported meeting would come less than two weeks before a NATO summit expected to take place in Ankara in early July and could provide an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss bilateral ties, regional conflicts and NATO’s future role, according to the report.
Türkiye and the United States, NATO allies with a complicated but strategically important relationship, have sought closer coordination in recent months on regional security issues, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Erdoğan and Trump also participated in a recent teleconference with other world leaders focused on regional developments.
During previous Eid addresses, Erdoğan has linked Türkiye’s security operations and foreign policy ambitions to broader calls for stability in the region.
