Elon Musk gestures as he attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File photo acquire license fees
ISTANBUL, Sept 17 (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has asked Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk to build a Tesla factory in Turkey, the country’s communications directorate said on Monday.
Musk said many Turkish suppliers were already working with Tesla and that Turkey was among the most important candidates for its next factory.
Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Erdogan and Musk were speaking at a meeting at Turkish House, a skyscraper near the United Nations in New York, Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency reported.
Erdogan is in the United States to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Erdogan also said during the meeting that Turkey was open to cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and Starlink, Musk’s SpaceX satellite internet project, the communications directorate said.
He quoted Musk as saying that SpaceX wanted to work with Turkish authorities to obtain the necessary license to offer Starlink satellite services in Turkey.
It also said Erdogan invited Musk to attend Turkey’s Teknofest aerospace and technology festival in Izmir in late September and quoted Musk as saying he would happily attend.
Musk is also expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in California on Monday. Musk posted on social media platform X that their discussions would focus on artificial intelligence technology.
Tesla in August expressed interest in building a factory in India that would produce a low-cost electric vehicle.
Tesla currently has six factories and is building a seventh in Mexico, in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, as part of the automaker’s efforts to expand its global presence.
Musk said in May that Tesla would likely choose a location for a new factory by the end of this year.
Tesla shares are up 123% year to date and the automaker announced Saturday that it has produced its 5 millionth car.
In addition to running Tesla, Musk also purchased X, formerly known as Twitter, for $44 billion in 2022.
While describing himself as a free speech absolutist, Musk has acceded to some demands from the Turkish government to censor content in the country. In other cases, the social media company has opposed Turkish court orders.
Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bangalore and Daren Butler in Istanbul; Additional reporting by Michael Derby in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Jamie Freed
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