Erdogan Cancels Visit to Granada: What is the Reason?

The President of Turkey has canceled his planned visit to Granada, Spain, where he was set to attend the European Political Community summit. This move has sparked rumors regarding his health issues, according to RTVI.

Omer Celik, the official representative of Turkey's ruling party, announced on October 4 that Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not attend the meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, scheduled for October 5 in Granada. This information was soon confirmed by Erdogan's administration.

Azerbaijani media claimed that the cancellation of the trip was due to France and Germany opposing his participation in the negotiations between Aliyev and Pashinyan, with Paris adopting a generally "destructive" stance on the matter. Erdogan was also expected to hold talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Turkish media cited the president's illness, reportedly a cold, as a reason for the cancellation. As evidence, they pointed out that on October 4, the president was also supposed to attend a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party, of which he is the chairman, but that event was also canceled. NTV television broadcast a report about Erdogan’s participation in a public event without mentioning the rumors regarding his cold.

This marks the second instance this year where Erdogan has had to withdraw from political events due to illness. In April, he canceled public speeches and political rallies for three days, with Turkish media claiming he fell ill during a live broadcast in a television studio. Erdogan himself stated that he had "serious stomach pain." Subsequently, social media circulated claims that the Turkish president had suffered a heart attack and had been hospitalized in critical condition. The disinformation combating center associated with the Turkish presidency did not confirm these media claims.

Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also withdrew from the meeting with Nikol Pashinyan in Spain involving EU leaders.