Erdogan meets with US, France and Saudi Arabia leaders at G20 Summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held one-on-one meetings with US, France and Saudi Arabia leaders to discuss bilateral and regional issues on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Leaders representing the world's largest economies have gathered in Bali for the first day of the two-day summit on Tuesday to discuss issues impacting the global economy.

Relations between Ankara and Washington have been strained in recent years due to US cooperation with the terrorist group YPG/PKK in Syria, its failure to extradite the wanted ringleader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), disagreements over Türkiye’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defence system and Washington's sanctions on Ankara.

The US has said it is cooperating with the YPG/PKK in northern Syria to fight the terrorist group Daesh, but Turkish officials say using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense, morally or otherwise.

During the closed-door meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden, Biden said that his government will continue to support the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye.

READ MORE: What to expect from the G20 Summit in Bali

The leaders also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly trade and security issues, and regional developments, according to a Turkish Communications Directorate statement.

Biden thanked Erdogan for his efforts to help remove obstacles in the Istanbul grain deal and to resume the exports from Ukrainian ports, the statement said.

The grain deal with Russia is crucial to ease disruptions to global food supplies. It is set to expire on Saturday but global leaders are hoping it would be extended with the help of Ankara's and UN's moderation. 

While the Biden administration views the grain deal as critical to improving global food security, the White House said "the initiative must continue".

A third sensitive issue was "close coordination" on the NATO alliance, with Turkey currently holding up membership bids by Finland and Sweden.

The US president also said that Türkiye is an "important actor" in Sweden's NATO accession process, it added.

Also, Biden conveyed his condolences to Erdogan over Sunday’s deadly terror attack in Istanbul.

At least six people were killed and 81 injured in Sunday's bomb blast, which the Turkish government confirmed was carried out by the terror group YPG/PKK.

Erdogan also met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in separate closed-door meetings.

No further information was released yet about the meetings.