President Erdoğan holds Vietnam, Libya talks on sidelines of UN meeting

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stepped up Türkiye’s diplomatic outreach at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Monday, holding separate talks with Vietnamese President To Lam and Libyan Presidential Council Chairperson Mohammed al-Menfi as Ankara seeks to deepen ties across Southeast Asia and North Africa.

Erdoğan received both leaders at the Turkish House, or Türkevi, across from U.N. headquarters, where they are attending the 81st session of the General Assembly.

In his meeting with Lam, Erdoğan discussed bilateral ties as well as regional and global developments, according to Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications.

Erdoğan welcomed Vietnam’s positive response to Ankara’s proposal to elevate relations to a “strategic partnership” and said Türkiye wants to expand cooperation in investment, trade and the defense industry.

He also stressed the importance of closer coordination between Ankara and Hanoi at international organizations and called for continued cooperation on global issues.

Erdoğan congratulated Lam on his election as president and invited him to attend the leaders’ summit of the COP31 U.N. climate conference, which Türkiye is scheduled to host in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya in November.

Türkiye and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1978 and have steadily expanded economic ties. Vietnam has emerged as an important Turkish trading partner in Southeast Asia, while Türkiye has become Vietnam’s largest Middle Eastern investment partner, with Turkish investments estimated at around $1 billion. The two countries have also sought to broaden cooperation in defense, transportation, education and tourism.

Erdoğan later met Menfi at the Turkish House in a closed-door meeting.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and Trade Minister Ömer Bolat also attended the talks. No further details about the discussions were immediately released.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan meets with Libyan Presidential Council Chairperson Mohammed al-Menfi at the Turkish House in New York, U.S., Sept. 21, 2026. (Handout via IHA)

Türkiye maintains close political, economic and security ties with Libya and has repeatedly backed the North African country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity.

Ankara and Tripoli signed landmark security and maritime boundary agreements in 2019, which became central pillars of their partnership. Türkiye has since expanded cooperation with Libya in defense, energy and trade while increasing diplomatic engagement with actors in both western and eastern Libya.

Ankara has recently pursued what it describes as a “one Libya” policy, maintaining its longstanding relationship with the Tripoli-based authorities while broadening contacts with eastern Libya in an effort to support political reconciliation and stability.

Erdoğan and Menfi have met repeatedly in recent years, with Ankara emphasizing cooperation on stability in Libya and the two countries’ interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.

DAILYSABAH