Turkish president meets European leaders on sidelines of G20 summit

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz and Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday met with leaders of France, Germany, and the European Council on the sidelines of the G20 Rome summit.

Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron held a 50-minute closed-door meeting at the La Nuvola Convention Center, which hosts the 2021 summit in Italy, the first in-person summit since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Separately, the Turkish president hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel for 30 minutes behind closed doors.

The meeting was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Treasury and Finance Minister Lutfi Elvan, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, and Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesman Omer Celik.

Meanwhile, Olaf Scholz, the likely successor of Merkel, also joined her in the meeting with Erdogan.

Later, Erdogan met with European Council head Charles Michel for a 40-minute talk. The closed-door meeting was also attended by Kalin.

Commenting on the meeting, Michel on Twitter said the two officials addressed the "EU-Turkey relations. Discussed developments in Afghanistan, Libya and the wider region. Dialogue is key for regional stability and security."

The 2021 G20 summit has convened the leaders of the world's 20 leading economies and representatives of international organizations. The two-day summit will wrap up on Sunday.

*Writing and contributions by Merve Aydogan in Ankara