ISTANBUL-Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged tech tycoon Elon Musk to open his next Tesla factory in Turkey, becoming the latest leader to lobby one of the world’s richest men.
Erdogan and Musk have held a string of meetings both in Turkey and on the sidelines of international forums, developing a seeming friendship that they extended on Sunday in New York. Turkish television on Monday showed Musk entering New York’s Turkish House, a new skyscraper across from the United Nations building, with his three-year-old 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.
Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency said Musk told Erdogan that his country was “among the most important candidates” for the new factory. Erdogan’s lobbying efforts follow those undertaken by French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Musk in June, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Erdogan was in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting, which he is scheduled to address on Tuesday.