Speaking at a summit held in New York on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, “He’s a tough and wonderful man. Don’t mess with him.”
The meeting was attended by Erdoğan, as well as the leaders of Egypt, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Lebanon and Iraq. Trump recalled that they had met with countries from the region last year during the United Nations General Assembly meetings.
Trump said that the previous year’s discussions had addressed steps that could be taken to end the war in Gaza and that efforts were being made to resolve the crisis in the region. Turning to Erdoğan during his speech, Trump said his “friend” from Türkiye was also attending the summit.
Trump said the leaders attending the summit were making a major effort to stop the bloodshed in Gaza and stated that the countries were ready to make significant contributions to rebuilding the region.