Daily Brief: Top 5 UNGA sidelines meetings to know

Daily Brief: Top 5 UNGA sidelines meetings to know
People walk past UN headquarters ahead of 81st General Assembly in New York, U.S., 21 September 2026.
Reuters

Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 22 September 2026. These are five key bilateral and multilateral meetings taking place on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

U.S., Iraq seek stronger strategic and economic ties

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed strengthening their strategic partnership, expanding economic cooperation and broadening areas of joint work in New York. Al-Zaidi reaffirmed Iraq’s commitment to state control of weapons and fulfilling its “sovereign obligations.”

Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan coordinate on regional issues

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined a meeting with his Egyptian, Pakistani and Saudi counterparts in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Fidan also attended a coordination meeting with foreign ministers from the UAE, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Zelenskyy seeks stronger French support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met French President Emmanuel Macron in New York as he seeks further support for Ukraine. The meeting came hours after Macron met U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump Tower, where he called for faster delivery of defensive weapons to Ukraine and discussed a possible moratorium on energy strikes.

U.S., Japan, South Korea urge North Korea to resume dialogue

South Korean, U.S. and Japanese foreign ministers reaffirmed their “resolute” commitment to North Korea’s denuclearisation during talks in New York, according to Yonhap News Agency. They called on Pyongyang to engage in dialogue and stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Erdoğan, Al-Menfi discuss ties 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has met Libya’s Presidential Council chairman Mohamed Younis Al-Menfi in New York. Erdoğan said Türkiye will not back any arrangement against Libya’s interests. He also highlighted growing cooperation in energy, defence, and mining and invited Al-Menfi to the upcoming COP31. 

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