Trump phones Erdogan again within 24 hours ahead of Turkic states summit in Ankara

A second call in 24 hours

Donald Trump telephoned Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, 29 October, while Turkey was hosting an official dinner for foreign leaders. The dinner marked the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, Trump was told how much importance Ankara attaches to the summit of Turkic states and wished his counterpart success in its proceedings. It was the second phone conversation between the two men within 24 hours. The earlier call, on Wednesday, 28 October, covered bilateral ties and developments in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Erdogan's message on the summit

Erdogan passed on the greetings of the leaders attending the dinner and spoke about the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), which Ankara is hosting. He said the summit would take decisions aimed at strengthening the organization further. According to the presidency's communications office, he described the bloc as representing more than 200 million people and as a source of stability and security in Central Asia. Trump's side was limited to good wishes for the summit, and no further details of the conversation were released.

Washington's envoy frames the region

Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, linked the call to wider regional cooperation in a post on social media. He pointed to the position of the Turkic states, which connect the Caspian with the Mediterranean and Europe with Asia and the Middle East. He said the countries sit at the centre of important energy, trade and transport routes. Barrack argued that stronger cooperation and continued dialogue could help build a region where trade prevails over conflict, supporting peace, stability and prosperity.

The summit and its members

The summit carries the theme 'Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Action' and is expected to focus on regional cooperation and solidarity among member states. It will also promote the 'Vision of the Turkic World 2040'. The organization was founded in 2009. Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are full members. Turkmenistan, Hungary, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Economic Cooperation Organization take part as observers. The meeting runs from Thursday to Friday, 29 and 30 October, in Ankara.