President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a series of high-level meetings in the United States on the occasion of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). During his visit to New York, Erdoğan attended a series of meetings, including the General Assembly sessions, and engaged in discussions with global leaders and senior representatives of international organisations.
Investment Conference
Erdoğan spoke at the Türkiye Investment Conference, organised by the Türkiye-U.S. Business Council, on September 22 in New York, emphasising the importance of cooperation between Türkiye and the U.S. in the energy and defence industries. "Our mutual goal with my esteemed friend President Trump is to achieve the trade volume of $100 billion that we set in 2019," he said.
Conference on Palestine
Erdoğan also attended the International Conference on Palestine at the UN, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. "I congratulate the countries that have decided to recognise the State of Palestine," Erdoğan said during his remarks here, and continued, "I hope that this step will accelerate the implementation of a two-state solution. We, as Türkiye, will determinedly continue our efforts until the establishment of a State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with territorial integrity and al-Quds as its capital."
Bilateral Meetings
President Erdoğan met with the President of the European Council, António Costa and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The meeting addressed bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues. Erdoğan highlighted the role played by Türkiye and Canada as NATO partners, emphasising the need for increased cooperation in the energy and defence sectors. He also welcomed Canada's decision to recognise Palestine.
In his meeting with Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah of Kuwait, Erdoğan underlined the importance of strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in trade. Stressing that Islamic countries must take a united stance against Israel's massacres in Palestinian territories, he emphasised the importance of continuing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.
On the issue of Syria, he stated that the focus should be on reconstruction and development based on the country's territorial integrity and expressed that Türkiye's support would continue.
Meeting with the Turkish Community in the U.S.
President Erdoğan also met with Turkish citizens living in the United States at a dinner hosted by the Turkish-American National Steering Committee. Erdoğan stated in his speech, "We continue our efforts to advance Turkish-American relations on the basis of alliance and strategic partnership. During President Trump’s second term in office, our engagements with all levels of the administration and the constructive dialogue between our institutions have begun to gain momentum."
Speech at the UN General Assembly
On the second day of his programme, Erdoğan addressed the UN General Assembly. Devoting much of his speech to the genocide in Palestine and Gaza, Erdoğan also delivered messages on Syria, the Russia-Ukraine war, the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and global issues.
He said, "There is no war in Gaza. On one side stands a regular army wielding the most modern, lethal weaponry; on the other, innocent civilians, innocent children. Israel does not confine itself to Gaza and the West Bank but threatens also regional peace by launching attacks on Syria, Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon."
Addressing world leaders with photographs from Gaza, Erdoğan said, "Today is the day to stand tall for the oppressed Palestinians in the name of humanity. As your people express outrage at the atrocities in Gaza, I urge you to demonstrate courage step by step. Fulfil your humanitarian duty to Gaza, where children are forced to raise other children."
The issue of Gaza and the need for reform within the UN system were discussed during the meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to supporting initiatives aligned with this goal.
Other Contacts
President Erdoğan met with Chairman Mohammad Al-Manfi of the Presidential Council of Libya, expressing his commitment to supporting stability and national unity in Libya.
During the closed session regarding Gaza, which was also attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, Erdoğan engaged with leaders from Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Egypt.
He attended a meeting of U.S. think tanks organised by SETA.
He met U.S.-Türkiye Business Council Chair Hamdi Ulukaya, along with members of the American business community.
He met with President Emmanuel Macron of France at the UN and stressed the need to deepen collaboration in the fields of trade, energy, and defence. He emphasised the need to revive relations with the European Union. Welcoming France's decision to recognise Palestine, he stated that the international pressure on the Netanyahu government must be stepped up.
At the UN Climate Conference, he announced Türkiye's goal to reduce emissions by 466 million tonnes by 2035, thereby reducing them to 643 million tonnes. He stated that renewable energy now accounts for over 60% of Türkiye’s installed capacity.
He expressed his appreciation for their aligned stance on Gaza during his meeting with Vietnamese President Luong Cuong.
Washington Visit
After wrapping up his engagements in New York, Erdoğan headed to Washington and met with U.S. President Donald Trump for two hours and twenty minutes. Before the meeting, he remarked, "We will have the chance to discuss the F-35 and F-16 programmes, as well as the Halkbank issue, in detail. We are already ready to do what falls to us regarding the Heybeliada school. With President Trump's tenure, Turkish-American relations entered a new phase. I believe that we will overcome the problems in the region together, hand in hand."
During the meeting, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation, which has deepened the partnership between the two countries in the field of nuclear energy.