President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in the United States on Saturday where he is scheduled to address the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly this week. The Turkish leader received a warm welcome from the Turkish community in the country as he visited Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York. He was scheduled to attend a convention of representatives from think tanks at the same venue later Sunday and attend a dinner at Rockefeller Plaza hosted by the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC).
Before heading to New York, Erdoğan said he would address the assembly on Tuesday, the first day of the talks.
"This year's General Assembly debate will take place under the theme 'Leaving No One Behind' ... I will specifically touch on joint steps that can be taken against the genocide in Gaza and Israel's aggressive policies," he told reporters. Erdoğan stressed that the upcoming Summit of the Future, to be hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, would be "the most critical event" of this year's General Assembly session.
The president said that in his summit address on Tuesday, he would draw attention to the need for reform in the global governance mechanism, especially the U.N. Security Council and the international financial architecture. "I will highlight Türkiye's contributions and support for efforts in this direction," he added.
He said that he will also hold talks with his counterparts from many countries on the margins of the General Assembly, as well as with Guterres.
When asked whether he planned to hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, Erdoğan said: "There is no planned bilateral meeting with Mr. Biden yet. However, we may hopefully come together on various occasions." In New York, the president will also come together with Turkish citizens living in the U.S., and separately hold meetings with think-tank representatives and leading members of the U.S. business community.
