Erdogan meets Italian Meloni in New York

New York, The Gulf Observer: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in New York during his visit to the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

The closed-door meeting on Tuesday with Meloni, which lasted 40 minutes, took place at the Turkish House in New York.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and Chief Advisor to the President Ambassador Akif Cagatay Kilic were also present.

President Erdogan delivered his address at the UN earlier on Tuesday, touching on many issues including conflicts in Ukraine and Karabakh.

Erdogan and Meloni discussed a wide range of topics, including irregular refugees.

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, top diplomats of both sides held talks and discussed illegal migration, with the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressing the importance of regional cooperation to tackle the issue, which he called a common challenge faced by Mediterranean countries.

Relations between the two countries have strengthened in recent years, with bilateral ties reaching new record levels in the last couple of years.