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Erdoğan completes UN meetings after four days of diplomacy and economic talks
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan completed his four-day visit to New York, United States, on Wednesday. Erdoğan raised the goal of expanding trade with the United States, energy cooperation, and the issues of Palestine and Gaza at the United Nations General Assembly.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan left New York, United States, on Wednesday after attending the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Türkiye-US relations, trade, energy, Palestine and regional developments were prominent throughout the four-day visit.
Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız; Türkiye's Ambassador to the United States, Sedat Önal; and Türkiye's Consul General in New York, Muhittin Ahmet Yazal, welcomed Erdoğan and his wife, Emine Erdoğan, upon their arrival in New York.
Trade and energy on the US agenda
Speaking at the “100 Years of Friendship: Türkiye-United States” event in the United States, Erdoğan said regional and global conflicts made it necessary to maintain close dialogue between the two countries. Erdoğan said economic and trade relations could not be considered separately from strategic cooperation and noted that trade volume had doubled over the past 10 years.
Erdoğan said Türkiye-US trade volume, which exceeded $38 billion in 2025, reached $28 billion in the first eight months of 2026. He said the volume was expected to exceed $40 billion by the end of the year and that the $100 billion trade target set by the two countries was achievable.
Erdoğan said cooperation should be expanded in energy, nuclear energy, liquefied natural gas, civil aviation, advanced technology and the defense industry. He also said Türkiye was the United States' largest supplier of liquefied natural gas.
Meeting with representatives of the Turkish-American business community, Erdoğan said strategic cooperation was advancing in all areas. He said he believed 2027 would be a stronger year in terms of disinflation, adding that fiscal discipline was progressing positively and structural transformation was at the center of the program.
Call for Palestine and Gaza at the UN
Speaking at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Erdoğan called on countries that had not yet recognized the State of Palestine to reconsider their positions. Describing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's inability to be present in the hall as an injustice against the Palestinians, Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue to defend the Palestinian people's struggle on international platforms.
Regarding the situation in Gaza, Erdoğan claimed that 74,000 Palestinians had been victims of Israel's “state terrorism” over the past three years. Calling for stronger pressure on Israel for the reconstruction of Gaza, Erdoğan reiterated that the United Nations Security Council should be reformed in line with the principle that “the world is bigger than five.”
Erdoğan also met with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The meetings addressed bilateral relations, regional developments and global issues.
Erdoğan also attended a meeting with US President Donald Trump and leaders or foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The participants discussed efforts to end the conflict in Gaza and rebuild the region. Erdoğan later attended a reception hosted by Trump in honor of the delegates to the United Nations General Assembly.
Meetings with leaders in New York
On the first day of his visit, Erdoğan met with Vietnamese President To Lam at the Turkish House. He expressed satisfaction with To Lam's positive response to Vietnam's proposal to elevate relations to the level of a strategic partnership. The meeting focused on expanding cooperation, particularly in investment, trade and the defense industry, as well as bilateral relations and regional and global issues.
That same day, Erdoğan held separate meetings with President of Libya's Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi, Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. The talks addressed preserving stability in Libya, Kosovo's position in the international community, lasting peace and stability in Lebanon, dialogue among the Balkan countries, and the effective use of Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan cooperation mechanisms.
Meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue its efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end through lasting peace. Stressing the need to ensure navigational safety in the Black Sea, Erdoğan said attacks on commercial vessels could not be justified.
During his meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Erdoğan discussed the normalization of Türkiye-Armenia relations, contacts in trade and transport, and the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He stressed the importance of preserving the positive momentum in bilateral relations.
Iraq and climate agenda
A joint statement issued after the meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zeydi said Ankara and Baghdad had agreed to deepen security cooperation. The statement set out the goals of fully establishing state authority in Sinjar and ending the presence of illegal foreign armed groups.
The statement said the Turkish Armed Forces would gradually transfer the Başika-Zilkan base to the Iraqi Federal Government according to the agreed mechanism and timetable, depending on Iraq's progress in taking security measures.
Erdoğan said the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP31, which Türkiye will host in Antalya from November 9 to 20, 2026, would focus on implementing climate decisions. He also said they aimed to expand energy cooperation into all areas, including nuclear energy.
Call for greater representation of the Turkish-American community
Meeting with Turks and fraternal communities in New York, Erdoğan said Muslims should be able to integrate into the societies where they live without giving up their language, culture and roots. Calling for stronger representation of the Turkish-American community in politics, business, academia, culture and the arts, Erdoğan said social solidarity would contribute to combating Islamophobia, xenophobia and discrimination.
Erdoğan also said it was important for citizens to exercise their democratic rights and express their will at the ballot box in the upcoming US midterm elections.
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