Photos of a table tennis match between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev provided entertainment on Wednesday. The Turkish president’s unusual racket stance in particular caused a stir. The game was played with shirt and tie under a pompous chandelier. On Thursday, there was a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during lunch.
On the sidelines of a summit in Astana, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan battled out a table tennis match with his Kazakh counterpart Kassymshomart Tokayev. Particularly funny: Erdogan’s bat position. Photos showed Erdogan holding the bat’s blade instead of the handle – apparently a standard position of the Turkish president, as photos from previous table tennis games suggest.
Tokayev and Erdogan already played table tennis during the Kazakh president’s state visit to Turkey in May this year. At the time, the Kazakh president’s press secretary, Ruslan Zheldibai, stated that Tokayev and Erdogan had agreed to continue playing table tennis in Kazakhstan in the fall.
Erdogan attends the Summit of the Conference on Cooperation and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana. Thursday there was a meeting with Vladimir Putin during lunch. According to Turkish state news agency Anadolu Ajansi, a total of 11 heads of state and government are expected to attend the summit in Astana.
The purpose of the meeting was, among other things, “to end the bloodshed as soon as possible,” the Communications Ministry quoted Erdogan as saying on Thursday.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
