Azerbaijan's operations in Karabakh are against local mobs: Erdogan

Azerbaijan's anti-terror activities in Karabakh were not related to Armenia or its Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but rather to Armenian mobs in the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

During his visit to New York, Turkish President Erdogan told reporters, "This recent incident (Azerbaijan's anti-terror activities in Karabakh) is not related to Pashinyan. It also has nothing to do with the Armenian state. It is related to Armenian mobs in Karabakh."

"Their attempt to hold a presidential election disturbed both Pashinyan and Azerbaijan significantly. Azerbaijan saw this event as an attempt to ignite an ongoing process. In addition, the attempt to martyr our [Azerbaijani] brothers and sisters took the situation to a completely different level," he added.

"Warnings were issued, but despite all of these warnings, they did not straighten up their act," Erdogan said, adding, "On the contrary, they continued the process. As a result, Azerbaijan took action."

He added that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev thanked him for his speech at the UN General Assembly.

In his speech, the Turkish president emphasised that Karabakh is unequivocally Azerbaijani territory, rejecting any imposition of a different status.

He advocated for peaceful coexistence for all, including Armenians, within Azerbaijan's borders, reaffirming the "one nation, two states" principle and expressing support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to visit Türkiye

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will visit Türkiye, Erdogan said.

“I told him (Netanyahu), 'We are expecting you first, and then I will pay a visit to Israel with my delegation', and we agreed on that," Erdogan told reporters.

"We will start energy drilling work with Israel. Not only will we begin operating energy transmission lines to Türkiye, but also from Türkiye to Europe," he added.

On Tuesday, Erdogan met with Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly and discussed a range of issues including bilateral ties and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Currently, we (Türkiye and Israel) have a total trade volume of $9.5 billion. We reached an agreement to increase this trade volume from $9.5 billion to a minimum of $15 billion in the first phase," the Turkish president said.

Erdogan said they also discussed what they can do together in international politics.

"We talked about the benefits of establishing a mechanism in which our ministers can participate to increase cooperation in various fields between the two countries,” he added.

It is possible for the two countries to work together to establish new collaborations in areas such as energy, tourism, and technology, Erdogan said.

Thessaloniki summit in Greece

The Thessaloniki summit is expected to be an important leap in Turkish-Greek relations, as the two countries' foreign ministers will take the necessary steps and make preparations, President Erdogan said.

Erdogan said both Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and he share the same approach to distracting the "distressed air" in the Aegean region.

Concerning the Thessaloniki summit, he emphasised that it is Ankara's top priority.

“Thessaloniki summit will be an important leap” in bilateral relations between the two countries, he underlined.

He also noted that the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers will make the necessary preparations for the summit to be held on December 7.

Both countries have experienced natural disasters lately, Erdogan said, adding that they have been the most important factor in bringing Türkiye and Greece closer together in terms of lending a helping hand when needed.

High-level contacts, which appear to be increasing, have also supported the positive atmosphere between Ankara and Athens, he highlighted.

Expressing hope that the Thessaloniki summit will add more fuel to the developing relations, the Turkish president said both countries have to avoid steps and discourses that would harm the “trust environment.”

“We have to take steps together” for this process to progress with peace, he added.

Elon Musk ‘most likely’ to attend Teknofest

Tesla CEO Elon Musk will “most likely” visit Izmir to attend Türkiye’s largest tech and aviation event Teknofest, Erdogan announced.

“I invited him to Izmir Teknofest. He will most likely come to Izmir Teknofest,” Erdogan told reporters in New York.

"He (Elon Musk) said, 'I've heard good things about Izmir, and I will try to attend Izmir Teknofest.' Our colleagues will also be in touch with them," Erdogan said.

The Izmir edition of Teknofest will take place on September 27-October 1.

Erdogan also said that he discussed with Musk both “Tesla's investment in Türkiye and joint steps in space studies.”

“He (Elon Musk) said that he followed Türkiye’s UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and UCAV (unarmed combat aerial vehicle) and found them successful. He is aware of the achievements of our country in the field of technology in recent years. This will also be a driving force for him to move his investments to Türkiye,” he added