ASHGABAT / ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday held talks with several world leaders on the sidelines of the International Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat.

According to posts shared by the Turkish Presidency on US social media company X, Erdogan held separate one-on-one meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhammedov.

Erdogan also chatted with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ahead of the family photo session.

The meetings took place as part of Erdogan’s diplomatic engagements on the sidelines of the forum, which is being held following the UN General Assembly’s declaration of 2025 as the “International Year of Peace and Trust,” and to mark the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality status.