President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pursued intense diplomacy traffic as a special guest at the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and will continue his engagements in New York, the US, where he went to attend the 77th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
President Erdoğan held a series of official meetings on the margins of the SCO Summit, which he attended as a special guest in Samarkand. President Erdoğan initially met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan upon his arrival at Samarkand on September 15. In the evening, President Erdoğan visited the "Eternal City" complex with leaders participating in the Summit and 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 visit, toured the complex. The media extensively covered photographs of President Erdoğan's conversation 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 Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh of Mongolia and spoke at a highly attended session of the Summit. In his speech, President Erdoğan stated 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 to tourism."
After 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 meetings, bilateral economic relations, as well as regional issues, the Russia-Ukraine war and Türkiye's peace efforts, were discussed.
Diplomacy traffic is to continue in the US
President Erdoğan concluded his diplomatic contacts in Samarkand and went to New York, the US, to attend the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
President Erdoğan will address the UN General Assembly on September 20, 2022, and hold bilateral talks with various heads of state and government.
During his visit, President Erdoğan will meet with US-based Turkish non-governmental organisations' representatives and hold talks with international organisations' executives.
President Erdoğan is also expected to attend the reception hosted by President Joe Biden of the US in honour of the heads of delegations.