President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at various sessions as part of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg and held bilateral meetings.
President Erdoğan travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit on November 22-23.
At the official welcoming ceremony of the G20 Leaders' Summit, President Erdoğan was greeted by his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, who was hosting the G20 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, the summit's designated venue.
President Erdoğan participated in the session entitled "Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind: Building Our Economies; The Role of Trade; Financing for Development and the Debt Burden" held on the sidelines of the summit. In his remarks during the session, President Erdoğan emphasised that, according to the United Nations 2025 Debt Report, interest payments in countries with a combined population of 3.4 billion have exceeded expenditures on health and education.
"We support an approach grounded in fair, equal treatment during debt restructuring processes, especially for low-income countries," stated President Erdoğan, emphasising the urgent need for deeper international cooperation, new political means, and sustainable supply chains to revive global trade.
President Erdoğan further noted, "As Türkiye, we welcome the progress made in the debt restructuring process of Ghana and Ethiopia, to which we contributed within the framework of the G-20 Common Framework. Based on this example, I invite all G20 to take on more responsibility in building a more inclusive global economy where no one is left behind."
President Erdoğan drew attention to the destruction caused by Israel in Gaza
President Erdoğan also attended the session titled "A Resilient World — The G20’s Contribution: Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change, Just Energy Transitions, Food Systems" held within the scope of the summit. Noting in his speech that, according to UN data, the destruction caused by Israel in Gaza has set back Palestine's development efforts by at least 70 years, President Erdoğan said, "Unfortunately, in Gaza, we witnessed the destruction not only of the superstructure but also of the environment. We are determined and ready to contribute to the continuation of the ceasefire on the ground and the reconstruction of Gaza, and to stand with the Palestinian people as we have thus far."
President Erdoğan pointed out that the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is planned to be held in Türkiye next November, stating, “We plan to increase our solar and wind energy capacity to four times the current level by 2035. As of this year, we have already increased the share of renewable energy in our total installed capacity to over 60 per cent."
President Erdoğan, who attended the opening of the G20 Leaders' Summit and its sessions, appeared in the family photo alongside the leaders.
President Erdoğan held bilateral meetings
President Erdoğan held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit held at the Johannesburg EXPO Centre.
As part of the G20 Leaders' Summit, President Erdoğan met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia, highlighting the importance of building on the reconciliation framework established by the Ankara Declaration between Ethiopia and Somalia and expressing hope that this reconciliation could serve as a positive model for addressing other regional challenges.
President Erdoğan participated in the MIKTA Leaders Gathering at the summit, which brought together the leaders of the informal consultation and coordination platform MIKTA, composed of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Australia.
At the Johannesburg Expo Centre, President Erdoğan received Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada. During the meeting, President Erdoğan emphasised the desire to expand defence industry cooperation between Türkiye and Canada, noting that deepening the recently accelerated collaboration would serve the mutual interests of both nations.
President Erdoğan also held meetings with President João Lourenço of Angola and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and subsequently met with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
The first day of the G20 Leaders' Summit concluded with a dinner hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in honour of the leaders.
President Erdoğan was accompanied by First Lady Emine Erdoğan at the dinner held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, the summit's designated venue.
President Erdoğan met with Macron and Meloni
Throughout the Summit, President Erdoğan engaged in an intensive diplomatic agenda. On the final day of the Summit, he attended the session titled “A Fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence” and addressed the participants.
President Erdoğan met with French President Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit. The meeting addressed bilateral relations between Türkiye and France, as well as regional and global issues. President Erdoğan highlighted the importance of maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid, emphasising that lasting peace could only be achieved through a two-state solution.
President Erdoğan also received Prime Minister Lawrence Wong of Singapore. During the meeting, President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye is committed to advancing its strategic partnership with Singapore across all areas and that ongoing efforts to this end would continue to intensify.
Additionally, President Erdoğan met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy on the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. President Erdoğan noted that the initiatives to further enhance the bilateral cooperation between Türkiye and Italy, particularly in the defence industry, would be maintained, indicating that deepening relations would benefit both countries.
Highlighting the importance of maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, President Erdoğan emphasised that the two-state solution is the formula that will bring lasting peace, towards which Türkiye is making every effort.
President Erdoğan also received Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation.
"We have boldly defended the rights and legal status of the oppressed Gazans on every platform"
Following the G20 Leaders Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, President Erdoğan held a press conference at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, where the summit convened, and answered journalists' questions.
President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye has staunchly supported the Palestinian cause without reservations and added, "We have boldly defended the rights and legal status of the oppressed Gazans on every platform. We have stood by our Gazan brothers and sisters with our humanitarian aid exceeding 103 thousand tonnes. I, on behalf of my country and nation, congratulate and salute with respect the state of South Africa, its society and its administrators, who have assumed a bold attitude with the genocide case they have filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice."
"It is impossible for us to ignore the genocide in Palestine, in Gaza. And the perpetrator of this genocide is Netanyahu and Israel," President Erdoğan said.
Reaffirming that Türkiye is committed to making every effort to bring peace to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, mobilising all necessary means to secure this peace, President Erdoğan said, "Inshallah, we will achieve this."
Stating that a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled for tomorrow, President Erdoğan cited efforts related to the Grain Corridor, saying, "Our endeavour in the Grain Corridor was actually to pave the way for peace. We aimed to reach both Europe and Africa through the Grain Corridor; unfortunately, we succeeded only to a certain extent. However, it has not gone any further. I will request this from Mr Putin once again in our conversation tomorrow. I think it would be very beneficial if we could initiate this process. On the other hand, so many people have died. I will discuss potential steps with him to mitigate these fatalities, and after this discussion, I expect to have the opportunity to share the outcomes with my European counterparts, Mr Trump, and other relevant parties."
President Erdoğan also commented on the clashes in Sudan, saying, "Our brothers and sisters in Sudan also request that Türkiye be involved in the resolution of the problems there. We have been involved in these efforts in the Gulf, in Sudan, and similarly in Somalia, and we will continue hereafter as well to run to the aid of all in pursuit of peace."
President Erdoğan departed for Türkiye following the conclusion of his meetings at the G20 Leaders' Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
