International

Turkiye President Erdogan Seeks Cooperation From Elon Musk For Country's Space Programme

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is in the US to attend the UN General Assembly, also told Elon Musk that Turkiye would welcome cooperation on artificial intelligence and Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
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Turkiye President Recepp Tayyip Erdogan discussed potential cooperation between his country and billionaire Elon Musk's space exploration firm SpaceX on  Monday in New York.

Erdogan, who is in the US to attend the UN General Assembly, met Musk the Turkish president's office said.

Erdogan also held deliberations with Musk,  to establish a factory in Turkiye during a meeting in New York.

Erdogan, who is in the US to attend the UN General Assembly, also discussed potential cooperation between Musk's space exploration firm SpaceX and Turkiye's space programme,

The statement said Erdogan told Musk that Turkiye would welcome cooperation on artificial intelligence and Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service. Musk said SpaceX wanted to secure the necessary license to offer Starlink in Turkiye.

Images of the meeting showed Musk holding one of his sons as he talked to Erdogan.

Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir, who attended the meeting, said Musk described Turkiye as “among the most important candidates for Tesla investment”.

He added that Musk and Erdogan also discussed Turkiye's armed aerial drone programme.