YEREVAN, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan didn’t participate in the luncheon on the sidelines of the BSEC 25th anniversary summit. The luncheon was served in honor of the heads of states participating in the summit, in the Dolmabahce palace in Isanbul.

Local media reported that Turkey’s Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman and Prime Minister Binali Yildirimn attended the luncheon instead of Erdogan.

Erdogan was expected to host Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev and President of Greece Prokopios Pavlopoulos after the summit, but surprisingly the Turkish president cancelled these meetings.

Erdogan exited the Palace and retired to his private residence.