美国总统川普称土耳其总统埃尔多安是朋友，他“治理非常难管的地区有方，应该打高分。”
川普星期四在联大非正式会议期间对埃尔多安赞誉有加，尽管土耳其保安官员对付美国抗议者的行为造成了美土双边关系的紧张。
川普与埃尔多安会谈前几小时，三名抗议者打断了埃尔多安在纽约一家酒店的讲话，遭到埃尔多安支持者的拳打脚踢。
当时，埃尔多安在一个商业团体组织的活动上对几百人发表讲话。一名男子站起身高喊“恐怖分子！恐怖分子！”
美国之音的视频显示，听众对他拳打脚踢，美方保安人员急着将他护送到安全的地方。他走后不久，又有一名男子效仿他的做法，被保安送出会场的过程中，也遭到多次推搡，头部被土耳其国旗击中。
埃尔多安试图平息局面，他说：“咱们不要因为两个恐怖分子牺牲掉整个会议。”
随后，第三名抗议者又从人群的另外一个地方对埃尔多安提出质问，虽然没有被拍到，但是据不远处的一名美国之音记者说，此人也遭到了殴打。
这是今年以来美国第二次发生抗议者遭到埃尔多安支持者殴打的事件。
U.S. President Donald Trump praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a friend who gets “high marks” for “running a very difficult part of the world.”
Trump’s effusive praise for the Turkish leader came on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday despite tensions between the two countries over the conduct of Turkish security officials toward American protesters.
Hours before Trump met Erdogan for talks, Erdogan supporters punched and kicked three protesters who interrupted his speech at a New York hotel.
Erdogan was addressing several hundred people at an event organized by a business group, the Turkish-American National Steering Committee, when one man stood and began shouting, “Terrorist! Terrorist!”
Voice of America TV footage shows audience members pummeling him as U.S. security officers tried to hustle him to safety. Soon after he was gone, a second man followed suit and also was repeatedly punched and hit over the head with Turkish flags as he was led outside by U.S. security.
Erdogan tried to calm the crowd, saying: “Let’s not sacrifice the whole meeting for a couple of terrorists.”
Then a third protester started heckling the president from a different part of the crowd. Although that incident occurred off-camera, a VOA reporter who was nearby said he too was beaten.
This was the second time this year that protesters in America have been assaulted by Erdogan supporters.