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Turkey's Erdogan accepts invitation to visit Poland: spokesman

23.09.2026 12:00
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accepted an invitation to visit Poland, Polish presidential spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz said on Wednesday, after talks in New York between Erdogan and Poland's President Karol Nawrocki.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool

Nawrocki is in New York with First Lady Marta Nawrocka ahead of his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. He met Erdogan on Tuesday.

"We will be working on a date," Leśkiewicz said of the planned visit.

He called Turkey "a very important partner" for Poland, pointing to close economic and military ties and Turkey's seat in the G20, a group Poland wants to join permanently.

Leśkiewicz said the Nawrocki-Erdogan meeting, along with earlier talks with African Union chairman and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, was part of Poland's push for permanent G20 membership.

Nawrocki also had a brief exchange with US President Donald Trump at Tuesday's reception for leaders attending the UN summit. Leśkiewicz said it was not a one-on-one meeting.

Separately, Leśkiewicz addressed the postponement of a meeting between Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon.

"It's certainly not good that this meeting isn't happening now," he said, adding he hoped the two ministers would "quickly synchronise" their schedules.

Settling the issue of a permanent US troop presence in Poland is a national priority, Leśkiewicz said.

Washington is conducting a six-month review of its military footprint in Europe, due to wrap up by the year's end.

US forces in Germany, Italy and Spain are expected to be hit hardest, with some troops potentially shifting to NATO's eastern flank.

Trump said last week the review could lead to a permanent US base in Poland.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Tuesday that his Pentagon meeting, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was pushed back because of Chinese President Xi Jinping's US visit, and that he and Hegseth would find another date.

(jh/gs)

Source: PAP