President Erdogan hints at potential tech collaboration with Elon Musk

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Türkiye could take joint steps with Elon Musk in the technology field if opportunities for cooperation arise, the country's national public broadcaster TRT Haber reported.

US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Musk to a role aimed at creating a more efficient government, handing even more influence to the world's richest man who donated millions of dollars to helping Trump get elected.

"Musk is a businessman who works in the space and technology fields," Erdogan told reporters Wednesday on a return flight from Baku.

"Technology isn't a field you can advance on your own, you absolutely need some cooperation."

Close relations

Turkish President Erdogan has previously held several meetings with Tesla CEO Musk on various technological topics, ranging from electric cars to the space programme.

Last year, Erdogan invited him to build a Tesla factory in Türkiye when they met at the Turkish House (also called Turkevi Center) in Manhattan, US.

Erdogan also shared Türkiye's technological breakthroughs, the "Digital Türkiye" vision, and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy with the American tech entrepreneur.

Musk reportedly told Erdogan that Turkish suppliers are working with Tesla and that Türkiye is among the most important candidates for the company's next factory.

In response to President Erdogan's offer of cooperation with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service, Musk said they wish to work with Turkish authorities to obtain the necessary license to offer Starlink satellite services in Türkiye.

Musk visited Türkiye in November 2017, which opened the door for cooperation on using the company's rocket launchers.

Recently, Türkiye launched its fifth-generation satellite Turksat 5A using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the company's Cape Canaveral base in Florida.