President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was warmly welcomed while taking a stroll in New York City's famous Central Park on Saturday. Erdoğan did not refuse the request of those who wanted to take a photo, and one person thanked him for his efforts in the Ukraine crisis.

Erdoğan is in the United States to attend the 77th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The president was accompanied by Türkiye's Ambassador to Washington Hasan Murat Mercan and Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioğlu.

During his walk, Erdoğan chatted with people in the park.

Sitting on a bench, a person ran up to him and thanked him for his role in the ongoing Ukraine crisis. "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." Erdoğan also advised a couple not to smoke.

Erdoğan traveled to the U.S. after the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which he attended as a special guest in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The president will receive representatives of Turkish nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the U.S. 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.