Our President Erdoğan spoke to journalists at the Turkish House in New York
In an interview with journalists at the Turkevi Centre (Turkish House) in New York at the conclusion of his U.S. visit, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated, "As the global system loses its ability to solve its problems, the accuracy of our assessment becomes evident."
President Erdoğan stated that their visit to New York to participate in the general negotiations of the 78th United Nations General Assembly was extremely productive and intensive.
President Erdoğan stated that during the visit, in addition to addressing the General Assembly, they made numerous contacts and participated in various events. He added, "On September 17, we met with our Meskhetian Turk brothers and sisters and presented their ID cards to our brothers and sisters who have become citizens. During the Turkish-American National Steering Committee meeting, we had the opportunity to connect with our fellow citizens residing in this country. We had a meeting with representatives from think tanks on September 18 to discuss the current topics on the international agenda and to exchange ideas.
Indicating that they signed the Global Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill, which grew into a global movement spearheaded by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
"On the same day, I delivered a speech at the 2023 Concordia Annual Summit, which was organised with the assistance of the American Chamber of Commerce, and received representatives of the business community. As you are aware, the plenary sessions of this year's General Assembly were conducted with the theme 'Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity'. During the opening session of the General Assembly on September 19, I emphasised the necessary measures to guarantee a safe and prosperous future for all of humanity. I communicated Türkiye's perspectives on significant international matters that contribute to the preservation of global peace and security.
I emphasised the significance we place on safeguarding the structure of the family, as it is increasingly under attack from global interest groups. This year, we once again emphasised that 'The World is Bigger than Five'. We are pleased to see the growing support for this call on behalf of humanity. Finally, Mr. Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, also expressed the need for reforming the organisation. As the global system continues to struggle to address its issues, the accuracy of this observation becomes increasingly evident."
"During these meetings, we talked about investment prospects in our country and business collaboration"
President Erdoğan reiterated that they had many contacts and meetings during his visit to New York, and added, "We had fruitful and sincere meetings with the Prime Minister Garibashvili of Georgia; founder of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk; President Tebboune of Algeria; NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg; President Duda of Poland; Prime Minister Meloni of Italy; Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel; Prime Minister Mitsotakis of Greece; President Ramaphosa of South Africa, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia. During these meetings, we talked about investment prospects in our country, business collaboration, and other matters on our schedule."
President Erdoğan stated that the Turkevi Centre, which opened in 2021, also hosted meetings with world leaders this year. He explained that they met with the umbrella organisations of the American Jewish community and evaluated common steps that can be taken in the fight against Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
President Erdoğan stated that he gave interviews to American media outlets during his visit and expressed his hope that the meetings and contacts they have established will be auspicious to all of humanity, particularly to our country and our nation.
Referring to the advertisements at Times Square showcasing the vision of the Century of Türkiye and his messages at the United Nations, President Erdoğan said, "It was very well received and widely talked about. It feels like we have experienced the pride of our centennial year here." In response to the question, "Could we begin with an overview and your views on the centennial?" President Erdoğan said:
"I wish I could have seen it too, but I am pleased to hear about it from you. Our Directorate of Communications also made efforts to promote our centennial here. We generated animations showcasing the theme of the Century of Türkiye on LED screens. All those who visited the square saw the advertisements promoting the Century of Türkiye. You would know that trucks with electronic billboards on the back are common on New York's streets. They also displayed advertisements about our centennial. These efforts are critical to bringing our centennial pride to the world's attention. We would have liked to see them, too, but we had a busy schedule of meetings at the Turkevi Centre. Leaders arrived here one after the other. It is also an honour to have Turkevi Centre in such an important location in the US. All the leaders I met with said, 'If only we had a similar venue.'
During our meetings with the leaders, they were also impressed by the charm of the Turkevi Centre, particularly its location and view. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Allah's mercy upon the late Demirel and İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil. Because they were the first ones to think of this endeavour. Then we combined the two by purchasing the adjacent area and we purchased this place. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also contributed to this process, and thus we have a 32- or 33-story Turkevi Centre. Just across from the United Nations building, it's quite rare to come across places like this around here, particularly in the United States. But praise be to Allah, for He has bestowed upon us this place. We are currently holding all of these meetings at this location with great ease. In the past, we used to come here, and if possible, they would offer us a room at the United Nations, where we would try to conduct our meetings in the available rooms. But now we can easily hold these meetings at the Türkevi Centre. We are happy, satisfied and proud. I wish we could have seen the situation in that square."
"This is an issue related to the Armenian marauders in Karabakh"
When reminded that the anti-terrorist operation launched by Azerbaijan against the separatist Armenian forces in Karabakh was completed successfully within 24 hours and asked whether there was an inconsistency between what Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did and implemented, President Erdoğan said that Pashinyan's participation in his oath-taking ceremony was important.
"This recent incident has nothing to do with Pashinyan. Neither is it connected to the Republic of Armenia," President Erdoğan said, and continued:
"This is an issue related to the Armenian marauders in Karabakh. Their attempt to hold a presidential election seriously disturbed both Pashinyan and Azerbaijan. Because Azerbaijan saw this incident as 'igniting an ongoing process'. In the meantime, their attempt to martyr our brothers and sisters took the incident in a completely different direction. Despite receiving multiple warnings, they failed to mend their actions. On the contrary, they continued the process. As a result, Azerbaijan took action and completed its operations there without further delay.
After completing the operation, they told me that they hit about 90 important points, and hitting those 90 points already finished them off. And they said, 'You will give all the tools, equipment, ammunition, and so on.' They started to give them, and they also received promises to withdraw from the necessary locations, so they initiated their withdrawal. Our Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler held meetings, and today I held meetings with my brother Ilham. He expressed gratitude for my speech at the United Nations General Assembly and said, 'They will likely never set foot there again. We have wrapped up the job. There is no problem,' he said, and that was the end of it.”
"Inshallah, if he (Elon Musk) comes to İzmir, the Teknofest in İzmir will attract a large number of our young people"
Reminded of the very important meetings he had in New York, one of the most remarkable of which was with Elon Musk, President Erdoğan was asked about his assessment of this meeting. He responded as follows:
"We spoke with Musk about both Tesla's investment in Türkiye and joint space initiatives. Inshallah, they will collaborate with our colleagues. I invited him to TEKNOFEST in İzmir. He will most likely attend TEKNOFEST in İzmir. He was accompanied by his general manager, whom he gave instructions, emphasising Ephesus in particular. "I heard the praise of İzmir and I will try to participate in İzmir TEKNOFEST," Musk said. Our colleagues will also be in contact with him. Inshallah, if he comes to İzmir, the TEKNOFEST in İzmir will attract a large number of young people.
He explained that he followed Türkiye's UAVs and UCAVs and found them successful. He is aware of the successes our country has achieved in the field of technology in recent years. This will be the driving force for him to direct his investments to Türkiye. The entire world, not just Musk, now recognises our accomplishments in these areas. Each move from our UAVs Akıncı, fighter jet Kaan, Kızılelma UCAV, ATAK attack helicopter, and Hürkuş is closely followed and make an overwhelming impression. We are pleased to see how our actions are being closely followed, not only by those in the defence industry but also by the people of the countries. At the TEKNOFEST held in Azerbaijan, we witnessed how well-known our domestic and national technologies are and how they make our nation proud.”
He was reminded that the books he gifted to Musk during his visit were one of the trending topics on social media and asked whether they had a discussion about the books. President Erdoğan responded:
"We gave him four books as a gift. He could only fit two of our books under his arm. He also had two of our other books in his hands: "A Fairer World is Possible" and "UN Reform: A New Approach to International Cooperation." As you know, in our book "A Fairer World is Possible", I set out with the philosophy of "The World is Bigger than Five" and emphasised that it is not right to leave the fate of humanity at the mercy of only five countries on issues that will shape the future of the world. In our book "UN Reform: A New Approach to International Cooperation", we explain why we want UN reform in light of concrete reasons and suggestions. We are confident that the international community will recognise the significance of every observation and recommendation we made in these books. Because we are sincere in all our proposals and actions."
Upon the question, "Your speech at the United Nations General Assembly was truly remarkable. What do you think about the attention this speech received by the world's media and the repercussions on social media?", President Erdoğan replied, "We did our homework. Instead of just sitting around, we made the necessary preparations before coming here. Which topics will we focus on? We focused on these issues. When I met with the leaders, they all said: 'So you have not left anything out,' and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia said, "I will continue this on Friday."
Stating that the world has many problems and that there are issues that need to be addressed, President Erdoğan said:
"About these issues, for instance, I wish I could have listened to Brazilian President Lula's speech, which was also appreciated, but I was unable to do so. The United Nations General Assembly is an important event this year that should draw attention in the changing global climate. In this regard, our messages as Türkiye are important. We need to achieve that too. If we were able to accomplish this and share our messages with the world on this matter, we would be pleased."
Stating that they told the facts and truth and defended the rightful from every podium, President Erdoğan said that they formed every sentence they uttered at the UN General Assembly based on the direction shown by the nation.
President Erdoğan said, "We never hesitated to move towards the objective they indicated. The interest on social media is also not surprising for us. We have always felt the support of our nation, and we have strived to reciprocate this support in every way possible. Our struggle continues."
