Turkish President Erdogan receives head of World Bank

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) — Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday received the World Bank President Ajay Banga in the Turkish capital Ankara.

No further information was provided by officials on the closed-door meeting, which was held at the presidential complex.

This was the Banga's first visit to Türkiye as head of the World Bank Group.

Banga was also received by Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek earlier in the day in a meeting held at the ministry.

Türkiye's 2024-2028 country partnership framework (CPF) with the bank was on the agenda of the talks, as was possible cooperation in areas including resilient cities, energy transformation, infrastructure, support for small- and medium- enterprises, and employment⁠, Simsek said on X.

Banga also reiterated support for Ankara's economic program during the visit, according to Turkish officials.

The World Bank chief also met with Türkiye's Energy and Natural Sources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar during his visit.

The two discussed support for Türkiye's energy transition process.

"We discussed the support provided for renewable energy, energy efficiency, transmission, and distribution infrastructure in the energy transition process, and how to enhance this support," Bayraktar said on X.

"We evaluated collaboration opportunities with the World Bank regarding the steps we have taken to create a predictable, transparent, and conducive investment environment in Türkiye," he added.