NEW YORK

The Turkish president on Saturday took a stroll in Central Park, New York City where he came to attend the 77th UN General Assembly session.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan was accompanied by Turkish Ambassador to Washington Hasan Murat Mercan and Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu, Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN.

He grabbed the attention of those in the park, interacted with them and also took photos.

Sitting on a bench, a person ran into him and thanked him for his role in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. "I wanted to thank you for all of the work in Ukraine ... for the grain coming through ... and for helping to make NATO stronger. I’m very proud," he said. "Thank you very much."

Erdogan also advised a couple who approached him not to smoke.

The president will receive representatives of Turkish non-governmental organizations operating in the US, and attend a dinner being organized by the Turkish-American National Steering Committee later in the day. He will address the General Assembly on Tuesday.

*Writing by Merve Berker