President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 7-day diplomatic traffic began with the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which he attended as a special guest in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15, and ended when he completed his contacts on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United States General Assembly in New York.
President Erdoğan first met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan upon his arrival in Samarkand on September 15.
In the evening, President Erdoğan visited the “Eternal City” complex with leaders attending the Summit, where he conversed with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, and other leaders.
President Erdoğan, who also had a private conversation with Putin during the trip, toured the complex. The media extensively covered photographs of President Erdoğan’s conversations with the leaders.
President Erdoğan initiated his diplomatic engagements on September 16, the day of the Summit, with his meeting with President Xi Jinping of China.
Afterwards, President Erdoğan met with President Ukhnaaglin Khurelsukh of Mongolia and spoke at a highly attended session of the Summit. President Erdoğan stated in his speech that Türkiye’s position as a bridge between the east and the west offered unparalleled opportunities, adding, “We stand ready for cooperation in every area, from security to economy, energy to transportation, agriculture and tourism.”
Following the session, President Erdoğan received Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and held bilateral meetings with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, and President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran. During the talks, bilateral economic relations, as well as regional issues, the Russia-Ukraine war, and Türkiye’s peace efforts, were discussed.
Diplomatic traffic continues in the US
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan concluded his diplomatic contacts in Samarkand and travelled to New York, the US, to attend the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly.
President Erdoğan also held diplomatic contacts with various heads of state and government there. As part of these contacts, President Erdoğan received some leaders at the Türkevi and met with some of them at the UN Headquarters.
On the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, President Erdoğan met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Mohammad Younes Menfi, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Mohammed al-Alimi, President Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla of Guatemala, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili of Georgia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Yair Lapid of Israel, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan at the Türkevi.
Prior to his address to the UN General Assembly, President Erdoğan spoke by phone with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
Later, when addressing the General Assembly, President Erdoğan included Türkiye’s foreign policy, the Russia-Ukraine War, the grain corridor established through Türkiye’s efforts, food security, Syria, Greece’s harassment of Türkiye, the fight against terrorism, and the refugee crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea on his agenda. In his speech, President Erdoğan also communicated his message on the United Nations reform, stating, “The world is bigger than five” and “A fairer world is possible.”
Following his address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Erdoğan met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President Sauli Niinistö of Finland, President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain at the UN Headquarters.
President Erdoğan also received President Gianni Infantino of FIFA at the Türkevi.
President Erdoğan also conversed with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed of Bangladesh at the UN Headquarters.
On the final day of his talks in the US, President Erdoğan met with President Ersin Tatar of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), President Van der Bellen of Austria and President Andrezj Duda of Poland.
Moreover, President Erdoğan held talks with Prime Minister Liz Truss of the UK and Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon.
During his time in the US, President Erdoğan also attended a dinner hosted by the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), met with Turkish citizens, and held talks with the representatives of the umbrella organisations of the American Jewish community and prominent businesspeople of the US.
President Erdoğan later received several US senators, including Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Chris Coons, and Senator James Risch, after meeting with US-based think tanks at a round-table dinner hosted by the SETA Foundation.