Turkey's president arrives in New York to attend 76th UN General Assembly

By Mehmet Tosun

NEW YORK

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in New York on Sunday, where he will attend and speak at this year's UN General Assembly.

Erdogan was welcomed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey's Ambassador to the US Hasan Murat Mercan and other officials at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Trade Minister Mehmet Mus, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and AK Party Deputy Chairman Binali Yildirim are accompanying the president on the visit.

Earlier on Sunday before heading for New York, Erdogan said that in his speech to the UN body, "I will emphasize Turkey's strong support for multilateralism and the goal of establishing a fairer world order.”

Turkey has long championed a more representative UN Security Council – one bigger than its five current permanent members – using the slogan, “The world is bigger than five.”

The 76th session of the General Assembly opened last week, and the high-level General Debate begins on Tuesday. Some 130 heads of state and government are expected to attend.

Erdogan is also expected to inaugurate the 36-story Turkevi Center in New York.