Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed an allegation by the country’s main opposition leader that he bargained with Donald Trump Jr. in an effort to arrange a meeting with his father, US President Donald Trump, BBC Turkish service reported.
Özgür Özel, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said last week that the younger Trump met with Erdoğan at the Dolmabahçe working office in İstanbul. He claimed the talks, which were not publicly announced, involved discussions about a multibillion-dollar purchase of Boeing aircraft and F-16 fighter jets and were intended to pave the way for direct talks between Ankara and Washington.
“They are doing business with Trump’s son through lobbying companies while Palestine is bleeding,” Özel told supporters at a rally on September 17, accusing Erdoğan of pursuing private deals while neglecting Palestinian concerns.
Speaking to reporters before departing for New York on Sunday to attend the UN General Assembly, Erdoğan said any negotiations would be conducted directly with the US president, not his son. “If we were to make any deals, we would do so with him personally. This man [Özel] keeps fabricating stories,” he said.
Erdoğan said Turkey’s aircraft purchases are government decisions, not matters for opposition consultation. “We have never and will never consult Özgür Özel about buying planes. He wouldn’t understand these matters,” he said.
The Turkish leader is scheduled to meet with his US counterpart in Washington on September 25.
It will be the first visit to the White House by Erdoğan since 2019 during Trump’s first term in office, with former president Joe Biden having a tense relationship with the Turkish leader he accused of autocratic behavior.
The White House meeting, announced by Trump on his Truth Social account on Friday, is expected to cover a “large-scale purchase of Boeing aircraft ” and a “major F-16 deal,” along with discussions on Turkey’s possible return to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after taking delivery of Russia’s S-400 air defense system, which Washington said compromised NATO technologies. Ankara has since lobbied for reinstatement, arguing that its expulsion was unfair. The issue has resurfaced amid reports of renewed contacts between Ankara and Washington on fighter jet cooperation.
Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi has also said the flag carrier is negotiating with Boeing over the purchase of 300 aircraft.
Neither the presidency in Ankara nor Trump Jr. has publicly confirmed a meeting at Dolmabahçe.
However, a Turkish source close to Erdoğan told Deutsche Welle last week that Trump junior had indeed met with the president but described it as only a “courtesy visit.” The source said there was no formal discussion on Gaza or any other specific topics, denying Özel’s claims.