Speaking at an event held for the 100th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the United States of America, President Erdoğan said: “We stand ready to further the cooperation with the U.S. that we have built in such areas as energy, including nuclear and LNG, civil aviation and advanced technology. It is obligatory to advance the defense industry, which is traditionally one of the strongest areas of our partnership, both bilaterally and within NATO.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, made a speech at an event held for the 100th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the United States of America.
“I consider the $100-billion trade target to be totally realistic and achievable”
Drawing attention to his meetings with President Donald J. Trump of the U.S., first in Washington last year, and the most recent in Ankara last July, President Erdoğan said: “The conflicts, wars and crises that we are faced with in our region and the world require Türkiye and the U.S. to be in close dialogue. Thanks to the dialogue and coordination we have established with the U.S., we get positive results for our countries in many matters, whose global repercussions we witness in Africa, Asia and the Middle East in particular. We are determined to continue this in the period ahead by increasing our efforts.”
Also pointing to the economic and trade relations between the two countries, President Erdoğan stated: “Despite the economic and political fluctuations in the world, our trade volume has doubled in the past decade. Our bilateral trade, which exceeded $38 billion in 2025, reached $28 billion in the first eight months of this year. It seems that we will surpass 2025 at the end of the year with $40 billion. I consider the $100-billion trade target, which we set together with President Trump, to be totally realistic and achievable. And yet, we should further increase our efforts."
“Those who invest in Türkiye always win”
Underscoring that Türkiye has strong ties with many regions, from Syria and Iraq to the Caucasus and the North Africa, which harbor significant potentials, President Erdoğan noted that they make the most of these ties on the basis of win-win understanding, and said: “Türkiye has made significant achievements in the past 24 years in almost every topic regarding economy. Türkiye, which had a national income of nearly $236 billion when we took office, has today reached a growth of $1.8 trillion. Our income per capita, which is $3.6 thousand, will inshallah surpass $20 thousand as of the end of 2026.”
Stating that the direct foreign investments they have attracted to Türkiye in the past 24 years have neared $300 billion, President Erdoğan reminded that they have managed to heal the wounds caused by the earthquake disaster in 2023 in a short span of time, and added: “We have rebuilt our cities from scratch. We have constructed more than 455 thousand houses by turning the earthquake zone into the world’s biggest construction site, and delivered them to our quake victims. In fact, all these numbers and achievements show us that Türkiye is a country whose economy is resilient against strong shocks. Those who have invested in Türkiye have always won. Türkiye never lets down anyone who trusts it.”
“Türkiye has become a globally sought-after actor in defense industry”
“We stand ready to further the cooperation with the U.S. that we have built in such areas as energy, including nuclear and LNG, civil aviation and advanced technology,” President Erdoğan further stressed, and went on to say: “It is obligatory to advance the defense industry, which is traditionally one of the strongest areas of our partnership, both bilaterally and within NATO. We would like to gain a new momentum by leaving behind the obstacles, which were never meant to exist between two allies. Let me underline at this point that Türkiye, with the progresses and initiatives it has made, has become a sought-after actor in defense industry at global scale, not just in its region. While our defense exports stood at only $248-million a year 20 years ago, today we have come to a point where we export over $10 billion worth of products.”
Voicing his appreciation for the contributions made by the invitees at the event to their efforts aimed at further enhancing the Türkiye-U.S. cooperation, President Erdoğan went on to say: “We are pleased that our citizens living in America preserve their ties with our country on one hand, and are integrated with the social structure of America in a strong manner on the other. We are proud of our citizens in the Turkish-American community who have distinguished themselves in politics, business, science, culture, arts, sports and in other areas. We expect you to add new ones to your successes. I hope that the strong ties and the spirit of alliance between Türkiye and the U.S. will further strengthen in the second century of our diplomatic relations.”
