Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on Wednesday at UN headquarters in New York, where the two leaders discussed bilateral ties as well as pressing regional and global crises.
According to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, Erdogan stressed the importance of dialogue with France and voiced Ankara’s readiness to deepen cooperation in trade, energy, and defence.
He also underlined Türkiye’s determination to revitalise relations with the European Union, saying swift activation of key mechanisms would benefit both sides.
‘Just and lasting peace’
Turning to international issues, Erdogan said Türkiye is committed to efforts for a “just and lasting peace” between Russia and Ukraine, calling for negotiations held in Istanbul to continue in a results-oriented manner.
Erdogan also congratulated Macron on France’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine and urged stronger international pressure on Israel’s government to pave the way for a two-state solution.
He stressed the importance of Ankara and Paris maintaining close coordination on this issue.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the conflict in Syria, and Erdogan raised concerns about the rise of xenophobia and hate crimes across Europe.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also attended the closed-door meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
