Turkish leader to United Nations: Be ‘much more influential’

By AYA BATRAWY
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Turkey’s president used his speech at the U.N. General Assembly to shine a spotlight on Turkish maneuvering in conflicts that span from Syria to Ukraine. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s speech on Tuesday comes as Turkey is beset by staggeringly high inflation and a cost of living crisis. Erdogan blamed inflation on globally high food and energy prices rather than his government’s own economic policies His speech, however, focused more on laying out how he views Turkey’s role in the world and the many conflicts Turkey is involved in, either directly or indirectly.