Erden is a regular player on the Turkish national team. His first international experience came in the 2005 U20 European Championships held in Moscow. He averaged 10.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in seven games for Turkey. In the 2006 U20 European Championships, held in Izmir, Turkey, Erden helped lead Turkey to a silver medal, averaging 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in eight games. In the same year, he earned a spot on the Turkish team for the 2006 World Championship in Japan. He contributed 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds a game. In the 2007 European Championship in Spain, Erden averaged 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in his five games.