Erdogan Unveils Turkey’s First Astronaut on Election Path

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s first astronaut will journey to the International Space Station by the tip of the yr, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned Saturday after an sickness pressured him to cancel a number of days of appearances.

Air power pilot Alper Gezeravci, 43, was chosen to be the primary Turkish citizen in house. His backup is Tuva Cihangir Atasever, 30, an aviation methods engineer at Turkish protection contractor Roketsan.

Erdogan made the announcement on the Teknofest aviation and house honest in Istanbul, the president’s first public look since falling ill throughout a TV interview on Tuesday. He appeared alongside Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, and Libya’s interim prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

“Our pal, who will go on Turkey’s first manned house mission, will keep on the International Space Station for 14 days,” Erdogan mentioned. “Our astronaut will carry out 13 completely different experiments ready by our nation’s esteemed universities and analysis establishments throughout this mission.”

Erdogan described Gezeravci as a “heroic Turkish pilot who has achieved important success in our Air Force Command.”

The Turkish Space Agency web site describes Gezeravci as a 21-year air power veteran and F-16 pilot who attended the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology.

Wearing a pink flight jacket, Erdogan appeared in strong well being as he addressed crowds on the pageant. Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 14, and opinion polls present Erdogan in probably his hardest race since he got here to energy two decades ago.

Turkey is coping with a protracted financial downturn, and the government received criticism after a February earthquake killed greater than 50,000 within the nation. Experts blamed the excessive dying toll partly on shoddy development and legislation enforcement of constructing codes.

While campaigning for reelection, Erdogan has unveiled a variety of prestigious tasks, reminiscent of Turkey’s first nuclear energy plant and the supply of pure fuel from Black Sea reserves.

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