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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Türkiye for both a bilateral meeting and next year's NATO summit scheduled to take place in Ankara, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced during a press conference at the Turkish House in New York.
The invitation comes as Türkiye positions itself as a key diplomatic player amid ongoing global crises, with Fidan emphasizing that his country's primary focus remains securing a ceasefire in Gaza.
"Our President invited Trump both for a bilateral visit and within the framework of the NATO Summit that will be held in Ankara next year," Fidan said during the briefing, describing recent talks between Erdogan and Trump as "friendly, positive and constructive."
The announcement coincides with several significant developments in Turkish-American relations. Turkish Airlines has reached an agreement to purchase 75 wide-body and 150 narrow-body aircraft, while Türkiye's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources secured a long-term energy supply deal with the United States ahead of the high-level meetings.
Fidan stressed Türkiye's commitment to maintaining what he called "strategic autonomy" in an increasingly multipolar world while continuing to contribute to global affairs. "As Turkey, we will continue to contribute to global issues. At the same time, we are developing policies that defend our country's interests by protecting our strategic autonomy in a multipolar world," he stated.
The Turkish foreign minister made clear that Gaza remains Türkiye's top diplomatic priority. "Our priority is to ensure a ceasefire in Gaza, to stop the civilian massacre and to ensure that humanitarian aid enters as soon as possible," Fidan said.
He noted that intensive diplomatic efforts are underway behind the scenes, highlighting a significant meeting between President Trump and representatives from Organization of Islamic Cooperation countries as particularly important.
Fidan also referenced recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by several Western countries during the UN General Assembly, calling it "an extremely important development." However, he emphasized that recognition alone is insufficient, stating that "there was no need for 65 thousand people to lose their lives and 2 million people to be left hungry for the recognition of the Palestinian State."
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