“In fact, I inherited this friendship from my father. The close friendship began immediately after his death. President Erdogan and I have a strong friendship, and this relationship goes far beyond the interests of the two governments. In my view, President Erdogan is very different from other politicians.”
Izetbegovic said that, one day before his father died, Erdogan visited him and his father entrusted Bosnia and Herzegovina to him. “My father was an excellent judge of character and knew how to deal with people. He recognized in President Erdogan a distinctive combination of leadership, strength and faith. From his sickbed, he therefore called Erdogan to Bosnia and Herzegovina and entrusted the country to him, saying: ‘Bosnia and Herzegovina is in your care.’”
He said his father’s condition had seemed somewhat reassuring, so Erdogan left the country very pleased at the improvement. But on the day after Erdogan’s visit and his father’s request, his health deteriorated and he died.
Bakir Izetbegovic, leader of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidential council, said his close relationship with Turkish President Erdogan had been inherited from his father, Alija Izetbegovic, the country’s first president after the war.
He was answering a journalist’s question during an interview: “We know you have good relations with Turkish government officials, especially President Erdogan. What is the nature of this relationship?”