Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman was discharged from hospital on Saturday morning, having remained under observation overnight, after having fallen ill at an art exhibition on Friday.

His office said that is “general condition” is “good”, and that he will now “rest for a while in accordance with the recommendations of his doctors”.

Meanwhile, his wife Nilden Bektas Erhurman said in the early hours of Saturday morning that “both Tufan and that beautiful heart of his are well”, and thanked those who offered their well-wishes to him after he fell ill.

Among those who offered messages of support was Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, who had met Erhurman in Nicosia just hours before.

Yilmaz said that he was “deeply saddened to learn” that Erhurman had fallen ill, and added, “I extend my wishes for a speedy recovery to his excellency the president and hope he regains his health as soon as possible”.

Likewise, Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel wished Erhurman a “speedy recovery and a quick return to his duties”, adding that “it is our greatest wish that Erhurman continues his work in good health”.

His ‘deputy prime minister’ Fikri Ataoglu said that “I hope he will overcome this period in good health and return to his duties as soon as possible”, while ‘parliament speaker’ Ziya Ozturkler said that “I extend my best wishes to President Tufan Erhurman for a speedy recovery from his recent illness and hope he regains his health as soon as possible”.

While in hospital, Erhurman was visited by a large number of high-ranking officials, including Ustel, Ozturkler, Turkish ambassador in Nicosia Ali Murat Basceri, and numerous members of the CTP, the political party he led between 2016 and his election in October last year.

An ambulance had been called to the Quirini bastion mansion in Nicosia’s old town, where the exhibition was being held, at around 9pm on Friday, and Erhurman was taken to northern Nicosia’s Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital.

Late on Friday evening, Turkish Cypriot ‘health minister’ Hakan Dincyurek explained that Erhurman had suffered a drop in blood pressure, and as such had been taken to the hospital’s cardiology department.

“Following the initial assessments, blood tests were performed, examinations of the aorta were conducted, and a contrast-enhanced CT scan was taken. No anomalies were detected in the aorta during these tests. As a precaution, an emergency angiography was performed, and no findings were observed,” he said.

The Quirini bastion mansion was the official residence of Turkish Cypriot leaders until last year, when the new official residence, in the northern sector of the Nicosia suburb of Ayios Dhometios, was opened.