Erdogan, Trump agree to meet during UN assembly in New York

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump spoke on Saturday and agreed to continue to work toward stronger ties and regional security, according to the Turkish Presidency.

"Noting the strategic partnership between Turkey and the United States, the two leaders emphasised the importance of continuing to work together to further strengthen bilateral relations and increase stability in the region," the Turkish Presidency said in a statement.

The two leaders agreed to meet in New York at the United States General Assembly, scheduled for this month.

The call was notable for its timing, coming a day after Erdogan described a US prosecutor's indictment against Turkey's former economy minister as being politically motivated and tantamount to an attack on Ankara.

The charges targeted former economy minister Zafer Caglayan and former Halkbank general manager Suleyman Aslan and two others, according to the filing, dated Wednesday, from the US attorney's office in the Southern District of New York.                

"For the moment, it is impossible to evaluate this within legal logic," he had told reporters on Friday. "I see this step against our former economy minister as a step against the Turkish Republic.

He has also called on Washington to re-think the charges.

"I hope we'll get a chance to discuss this issue in the United States. You may be a big nation, but being a just nation is something else. Being a just nation requires the legal system to work fairly," he added.