Turkish president Erdogan holds several meetings on COP31 sidelines

Meetings with Congo and Georgia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held several meetings on Thursday on the sidelines of COP31, the UN climate conference, in the southern city of Antalya, Türkiye. He met President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Antoine Tshisekedi, according to a statement from Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

The meeting covered bilateral relations and regional issues, with Erdogan saying Türkiye's partnership with Congo was developing across all areas and that the two countries would continue taking steps in various fields, particularly trade, transportation and the defense industry. He said Türkiye supports Congo's territorial integrity and expressed hope for the establishment of lasting stability in the country, while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, governing Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesman Omer Celik and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin also attended.

Erdogan also met Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on the sidelines of the summit. “The leaders discussed the Türkiye–Georgia bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues,” the directorate said.

Describing Georgia as an important trading partner, Erdogan noted that efforts were ongoing to reach bilateral trade volume targets. He also stressed the importance of making the most effective use of the Türkiye–Georgia–Azerbaijan cooperation mechanisms.

Türkiye-Sudan relations

Erdogan met Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on the sidelines of the summit, the directorate said. Their meeting addressed bilateral relations between Türkiye and Sudan, along with regional issues.

Erdogan said the two countries would continue efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and emphasized the importance of further steps to expand cooperation in various fields, particularly the defense industry, investment and agriculture. He reaffirmed Türkiye's unwavering support for Sudan's unity, territorial integrity and independence, saying Ankara was closely monitoring developments on the ground and supported the proposed “Sudan Peace Initiative.”

Talks with Libya

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also met with Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh on the sidelines of COP31. The two leaders discussed regional issues and bilateral relations during their meeting.

Erdogan vowed that Türkiye would strengthen its support for Libya's stability, stressing that no initiative could succeed on the ground without Libya's backing.