Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly asked Tesla CEO Elon Musk to consider building a Tesla factory in Turkey. This request came during a meeting between the two at the Turkish House in New York. According to the country’s communications directorate, Musk responded by acknowledging that many Turkish suppliers are already working with Tesla. The Turkish government has stated that Turkey is one of the top candidates for Tesla’s next factory location. However, there has been no official response from Tesla regarding these comments.
During their meeting, Erdogan and Musk also discussed potential areas of cooperation in the tech industry. Erdogan expressed Turkey’s openness to collaboration on artificial intelligence and Starlink, which is the satellite internet venture of Musk’s SpaceX. Musk expressed an interest in working with Turkish authorities to obtain the necessary license to offer Starlink satellite services in Turkey.
In addition to the request for a Tesla factory, Erdogan also invited Musk to attend the Teknofest aerospace and technology festival in Izmir at the end of September. Musk is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in California, where discussions will focus on artificial intelligence technology.
Currently, Tesla has six factories worldwide, with a seventh under construction in Mexico. The company aims to expand its global footprint and had previously announced plans to select a location for a new factory by the end of this year.
It is worth noting that while Musk describes himself as a free speech absolutist, he has complied with some demands from the Turkish government to censor content on his social media platform.
Sources:
– Turkish House in New York
– Turkish Communications Directorate
– Turkish state-owned Anadolu news agency
Source: Hindustan Times (author not specified)