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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrapped up his four-day visit to the US on Wednesday.
Erdogan arrived Sunday in New York to address the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The president and first lady Emine Erdogan were welcomed at John F. Kennedy International Airport by Türkiye’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz, Türkiye’s Ambassador to the US Sedat Onal and Türkiye’s Consul General in New York Muhittin Ahmet Yazal.
On Monday, Erdogan met with his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam at the Turkish House, or Turkevi Center, where they addressed bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues.
Welcoming Vietnam’s positive response to Türkiye’s proposal to elevate bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership, Erdogan said Ankara is working to further expand cooperation with Vietnam in many fields, particularly in investment, trade and the defense industry.
Erdogan met separately with Mohamed al-Menfi, chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, at the Turkish House.
Discussing bilateral relations between Türkiye and Libya and regional issues, he stressed that Türkiye continues its efforts to preserve stability in Libya.
Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah was also among the leaders that Erdogan met Monday at the Turkish House, where they discussed bilateral ties and regional developments.
Erdogan also received Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the Turkish House, where the president reaffirmed that Türkiye’s support for Kosovo in attaining its "rightful place" in the international community will continue, adding that Türkiye also supports dialogue among the Balkan countries.
The Turkish president also held a closed-door meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the same venue, saying that Türkiye is making efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in Lebanon and highlighting the need for an international initiative to supersede the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. (UNIFIL).
He also met with Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Bilateral relations as well as regional and global matters were on the agenda, with Erdogan highlighting the importance of sustained solidarity between the two countries at the international level, adding that making the most effective use of the Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan cooperation mechanisms would also benefit the countries.
Erdogan delivered a speech Monday at the “100 Years of Friendship: Türkiye–United States of America” event.
"The conflicts, wars and crises we face in our region and around the world require Türkiye and the United States to maintain close dialogue," he said, adding the two countries are achieving "favorable outcomes" on a number of issues with global implications, particularly in the Middle East as well as in Africa and Asia.
Ankara is determined to sustain and intensify its efforts in the coming period, he added.
"At this point, I would like to emphasize: We can never consider our strategic relationship with the United States separately from our economic and trade ties, nor do we."
Despite global economic and political fluctuations, Erdogan said the bilateral trade volume has doubled over the past 10 years.
"Our bilateral trade, which exceeded $38 billion in 2025, reached $28 billion in the first eight months of this year. It appears that by the end of the year, we will surpass the 2025 figure, reaching $40 billion. I consider the $100 billion trade target we set together with (US) President (Donald) Trump to be highly realistic and achievable."
He also said that Türkiye is ready to further the cooperation with the US in the areas of energy, including nuclear and liquefied natural gas (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," he said.
Erdogan on Tuesday urged countries that have not yet recognized the state of Palestine to review their position.
Addressing the 81st session of the General Assembly, he said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' absence from the assembly hall was an injustice to Palestinians that "wounds consciences."
"I wish to reiterate that even though Mr. Abbas cannot be present here in person, we will, just as we did last year, continue to serve as the voice of the free and sovereign State of Palestine and to proclaim the struggle of the Palestinian people to the world from this podium.
"Hereby, I once again call upon all countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to reconsider their decision," he said.
Turning to the Gaza Strip, Erdogan said that over the past three years, 74,000 Palestinians have fallen victim to Israel’s "state terrorism."
“Gaza today is not merely the world’s largest graveyard for children. It is also the territory with the highest rate of child amputees in the world. Gaza is the most inhumane and most shameful concentration camp of our time," he stressed.
Erdogan called on countries to "exert greater pressure" on Israel for the reconstruction of Gaza "without delay."
The president also reiterated his call that the UN Security Council must "absolutely" be reformed in accordance with the principle that “the world is bigger than five.”
After his speech, Erdogan met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. During the meeting, Erdogan said they have worked closely with Guterres, whose term of office is nearing its end, on a wide range of issues concerning global peace and security.
Erdogan also met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. During the meeting, Erdogan said that Israel continues to refrain from taking steps toward peace in Gaza and that it is important for the international community to exert "strong pressure" to hinder Israeli aggression in the region.
The Turkish leader also had his first face-to-face meeting with newly elected UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the UN, where they discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues. Erdogan said that relations between Türkiye and the UK are growing stronger in every field and that he believes cooperation will be further advanced through steps to be taken in many areas, particularly the defense industry and trade.
Erdogan also separately met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Poland's President Karol Nawrocki, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues.
US President Donald Trump met with Erdogan and the leaders of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states at the UN headquarters.
The meeting was attended by Türkiye along with leaders or foreign ministers from the GCC member states of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman as well as Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
Trump recalled that he had met with countries from the region on the sidelines of the UN a year ago, when they took important steps on Gaza and worked to bring the crisis in the region to an end.
Turning to Erdogan as he spoke about the process, he said: “Exactly one year ago, many of us met here on the sidelines of the United Nations to discuss how we could end the bloody war in Gaza, and almost the same people were here, including my friend right over here from Türkiye. He’s a tough cookie. Don’t mess around with him. He’s a fantastic guy.”
Trump said the leaders gathered around the table had worked hard to stop the bloodshed in Gaza and that those countries were now prepared to make significant contributions to the reconstruction of the enclave.
Later, Erdogan attended a reception Tuesday hosted by Trump in honor of UN General Assembly delegates.
On Wednesday, addressing a meeting with representatives of the Turkish-American business community in New York, Erdogan said: “As we approach the 100th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, our strategic cooperation with the US is developing in all areas.”
Voicing his belief that 2027 will be a stronger year in terms of disinflation, Erdogan drew attention to the highly positive situation in fiscal discipline and added that structural transformation has been placed at the center of the program, since it is efficiency that actually matters.
"We wish to reflect the harmony we have achieved in our political relations, in our economic and trade ties as well. In fact, we possess very significant potential in this regard. Through our joint efforts, we have recently concluded important agreements in energy, aviation and other critical sectors," he said.
Stressing that the US is Türkiye's top LNG supplier, Erdogan said Ankara aims to expand this cooperation to the entire energy field, including nuclear.
Türkiye will host the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP31, in Antalya from Nov. 9-20, with efforts underway to make the summit an event where decisions on climate change are translated into action, Erdogan said Wednesday.
Erdogan made the remarks at a high-level climate meeting convened by Guterres.
“Last year, you will remember, I stated here that Türkiye was bidding to host COP31. This year, we will hold COP31 in Antalya from Nov. 9-20, 2026,” he said.
He said Türkiye is working to ensure that the gathering focuses on implementing decisions taken on climate change.
“Any proposal that fails to align our climate targets with social and economic realities will be doomed to failure. Steps aimed at enhancing countries’ prosperity need to be shaped in accordance with their own circumstances, capabilities and development priorities
"Given the ongoing inequalities in access to financing and technology, it is not realistic to expect all countries to make progress at the same pace. We can make a fair transition permanent to the extent that we manage to cultivate a strong connection between climate targets and development and prosperity."
Erdogan met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Turkish House to discuss bilateral relations, the Russia-Ukraine war and regional developments.
During the meeting, he said that Türkiye is always ready to do its utmost to ensure that the war concludes with a lasting peace and that efforts to revitalize direct negotiations will continue.
Erdogan also stressed the need to take steps to ensure navigational safety in the Black Sea, saying there could be no justification for attacks on commercial vessels.
The president also told Zelenskyy that it is necessary to take steps regarding the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, that attacks on commercial vessels are "unjustifiable," and that Türkiye expects responsible behavior from the parties involved.
Erdogan said that Ankara would continue efforts to strengthen relations with Ukraine, emphasizing that increased cooperation in areas including energy, mining and the defense industry would benefit both countries.
Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi agreed Wednesday to deepen security cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad at their meeting in New York.
"In this context, they agreed to fully restore state authority in Sinjar and eliminate the presence of illegal foreign armed elements. In light of the progress achieved by these security measures implemented by Iraq, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to the Federal Government of Iraq in accordance with the agreed mechanism and timetable," said a joint statement.
The parties also reached a consensus on expanding bilateral trade and investment, ensuring the immediate implementation of the agreements signed, and accelerating joint strategic projects, particularly the Development Road Project.
Separately, Erdogan also received Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Turkish House, where they addressed contacts between Türkiye and Armenia as well as regional and global issues.
Stating that Türkiye supports the normalization process with Armenia in the areas of bilateral trade and transportation, Erdogan emphasized the importance of maintaining the positive momentum in bilateral relations. The president expressed Türkiye’s satisfaction with the reciprocal steps that Azerbaijan and Armenia are taking in the peace process.
Addressing a gathering of Turks and brotherly communities in New York on Wednesday, Erdogan said that Muslims should be allowed to integrate into the societies where they live without being expected to abandon their language, culture or roots.
“Unfortunately, there are problems in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe. Muslims are expected not to integrate but to assimilate. We say ‘yes’ to integration and ‘no’ to every form of assimilation,” Erdogan said.
He called for stronger representation of Turkish Americans in politics, business, academia, culture and the arts, saying individual achievements should develop into strong institutions and lasting structures that can be passed from one generation to another.
Erdogan said stronger communities can help combat anti-Muslim sentiment, xenophobia and discrimination.
The president also addressed the upcoming US midterm elections, urging citizens to exercise their democratic rights and make their voices heard.
“I call on all our citizens to exercise their democratic rights in the upcoming midterm elections. It is very, very important that you reflect your will at the ballot box at the highest level,” he said.
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