Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used a break in New York City on Sunday to urge tech giant Elon Musk to open his next Tesla factory in Turkey.
Erdogan’s entreaty makes him just the latest in a long line of leaders to lobby one of the world’s richest men.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Musk in June, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, have also tried to lure him to their respective countries.
In March the Mexican government announced Tesla will invest about $5 billion in a massive new factory in the northern city of Monterrey.
Erdogan was in New York to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting, which he is scheduled to address on Tuesday.
AP reports the two men have held a series of meetings both in Turkey and on the sidelines of international forums, developing a seeming friendship that they extended in New York.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with Elon Musk (L) ahead of the 78th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly at the Turkish House in New York, United States on September 17, 2023. (Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Turkish television on Monday showed Musk entering New York’s Turkish House, a new skyscraper across from the United Nations building, with his son, whom he held on his lap during the talks.
“President Erdogan called on Tesla to establish its seventh factory in Turkey,” the Turkish leader’s office said, according to AP.
Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency said Musk told Erdogan his country was “among the most important candidates” for the new factory.
Musk’s SpaceX has also been working with Turkey’s space industry, launching some of its communication satellites.
Erdogan’s office said he invited Musk to attend Teknofest, a technology fair scheduled for later this month in Turkey’s western city of Izmir.