Erdoğan attends G20 in Brazil, plans talks on Mideast

RIO DE JANEIRO

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Brazil on Nov. 17 to attend the G20 summit, with the Turkish leader set to engage in bilateral talks with several of his counterparts.

A key issue on Erdoğan’s agenda is addressing the ongoing violence in the Middle East. He is expected to call for an international response to Israel's relentless attacks on Palestinian territories and Lebanon.

The two-day Rio summit starting on Nov. 18 brings together leaders from the world's largest economies. It will also cover global economic concerns, climate change and international security.

Erdoğan's participation follows his busy weeks of diplomacy as several high-profile summits and meetings were on the agenda.

He addressed a session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation on Nov. 4 in Istanbul.

Following the talks, Erdoğan traveled to Kyrgyzstan on Nov. 5 for a summit of the Organization of Turkic States, where topics including strengthening regional ties and ongoing cooperation took center stage.

The president then headed to Hungary, as both nations mark the centennial of diplomatic relations this year.

Bilateral issues featured prominently in the discussions, with the visit also marking the Turkish-Hungarian Cultural Year, celebrating the 1923 friendship agreement between the two nations.

Erdoğan’s diplomatic tour continued in the Azerbaijani capital Baku for the U.N.'s climate summit COP29 on Nov. 11 and 12.

The G20 summit will be a diplomatic test for veteran President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who has boosted Brazil's global standing since returning to power but drawn fire for his positions on Ukraine and Gaza.

The gathering in Rio de Janeiro is the first of several high-level gatherings that will showcase Brazil's ambition to take a prominent role in everything from climate change to the war in Ukraine. Among them is the annual U.N. climate talks next year, which will take place in the Amazon.

Lula drew particular criticism in May 2022 for declaring that Ukraine and Russia shared responsibility for Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor launched three months earlier.

The following year, he attempted "damage control" by condemning the violation of Ukraine's territory, Shifter said.

But Lula was again accused of pro-Russian bias when China and Brazil in August this year presented a joint roadmap for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that did not require Russia to surrender Ukrainian territory.

Former Brazilian diplomat Paulo de Almeida said Lula's "anti-Americanism" in part explained his stance on Ukraine as well as his position on Israel's war against Hamas.

Lula has accused Israel of "genocide" in the Gaza — a position shared by South Africa, among other southern continent heavyweights — and likened it to the Holocaust. Israel and Brazil have withdrawn their respective ambassadors.