Erdogan invites Trump to visit Turkey

President Tayyip Erdogan sought to reset Turkey's strained ties with the United States by inviting President-elect Donald Trump to visit, and said Trump spoke very positively about Turkey during a phone call.

Trump's election victory this week was generally met with cheer in NATO-member Turkey, with markets rallying and some officials cautiously optimistic about prospects for new U.S. economic policies.

Erdogan told reporters on a flight back from a European summit in Budapest that he hoped Trump would accept the invitation.

He said he hoped a visit would strengthen cooperation between Turkey and the United States and lead to a relationship "different from (Trump's) previous term," when clashes on a number of issues led to Washington imposing punitive tariffs that hurt Turkey's economy.

"We had a sincere call with Mr. Trump while he was at a family dinner (that included) Elon Musk and Musk's child," Erdogan said of the Wednesday call, according to an official Turkish readout.

"He had very nice things to say about Turkey regarding the period ahead. We invited him to our country. I hope he accepts."



Reuters