Erdogan using coronavirus to increase his popularity

Mahmud al-Batakoshi

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party does not allow the nation’s political parties to offer aid to ordinary Turkish citizens as their country battles the coronavirus.

This comes as virus infections keep rising and Turkey’s hospitals and medical facilities suffer an acute shortage of medical supplies.

Using the crisis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan uses the coronavirus crisis in projecting himself as the man capable of getting the world out of it. Erdogan said his country offered aid to more than 55 states fighting the coronavirus.

Pro-Erdogan media says this aid is proof of the strength of the Turkish state. The media is also using the same remarks in exaggerating Turkey’s abilities.

Erdogan violated his country’s ban on the export of medical supplies by sending a shipment containing thousands of facemasks and medical gowns to Israel. These medical supplies will be used in protecting Israeli health workers against the coronavirus. This comes as Turkish citizens cannot find the same supplies in their country.

Turkey also sent two shipments of medical supplies to the United States. The two shipments contained a huge amount of personal protective equipment and disinfectants.

Erdogan sent a message to U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he called for pushing U.S.-Turkish relations more forward, including by increasing trade exchange to $100 billion.

Turkey faces a deep economic crisis and Erdogan does his best to get out of it.

A municipality head affiliated to the Justice and Development Party said he would send facemasks to 371 American artists in New York because the masks are running out in their city.

The same municipality head said he would send a box of facemasks to President Trump, the Governor of New York and celebrities living in the American city.