Erdogan holds talks with UN chief ahead of G20 in China

By Ilhan Toprak, Tevfik Durul and Nazli Yuzbasioglu

HANGZHOU, China (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday ahead of a G20 summit in eastern China.

Ban greeted Erdogan by saying “Merhaba, nasilsiniz?" -- Turkish for “hello, how are you?” -- before they held a closed meeting that lasted around 40 minutes at the Grand Metropark Hotel in the coastal city of Hangzhou.

Erdogan had earlier met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, alongside whom he presided over a meeting that saw delegations from both countries sign three agreements covering nuclear security, energy and agricultural health certification.

Erdogan arrived in Hangzhou on Saturday for the 2016 G20 summit, set to be held Sunday through Monday.

On the sidelines of the gathering, he is expected to hold meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, China’s Xi gave a keynote speech at the opening of the Business 20, or B20, tasked with supporting the work of the G20.

“The world is wondering whether or not China will continue its stable economic growth. We have confidence that we will continue presenting opportunities for the sake of the global economy by maintaining our development,” he said.

During the event -- attended by the president of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), Rifat Hisarciklioglu -- Xi called on the international community to undertake joint efforts for world peace and stability.

“Instead of expanding their own ‘backyards’, all countries should adopt a win-win principle and work for the growth of a large world garden,” he stressed.