Trump’s son secretly meets with Erdogan
Donald Trump junior and an accompanying delegation met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul last week during an unannounced visit, sources familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.
The visit was first revealed on Wednesday by Ozgur Ozel, chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), who claimed that Erdogan was engaged in “secret negotiations” with the US president’s eldest son over Gaza.
“The protocol referred to him as a ‘businessman’, but they didn’t mention his name during the visit,” Ozel said at a rally in Istanbul.
“While Palestine is bleeding, they are doing business with Trump’s son through lobbying companies,” he added.
He added that Erdogan criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but does not say a word about his real patron, Trump.
A Turkish source close to Erdogan said on Wednesday that Trump junior had indeed met 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, rejecting Ozel’s claims.
Although Trump junior holds no official role in his father’s administration, he is viewed as highly influential at the White House. He currently serves as executive vice president of the Trump Organization.
He is no stranger to Turkey, having visited in 2016 for a hunting trip and to hold meetings in Istanbul, where the Trump Organization has a joint investment with a Turkish company in the Trump Towers project.
It was previously reported that Erdogan also has good relations with Donald Trump Sr. and plans to meet with him next week in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Ankara hopes to discuss the F-16 fighter jet deal, the integration of Syrian Kurds into the central government in Damascus, potential avenues to purchase F-35 aircraft, as well as recent tensions between Israel and Turkey over Syria and Gaza.
Documents also show that Trump junior is a frequent traveller in the region, having visited Riyadh and Doha while accompanying his father during official visits to the Gulf.
