Published January 05,2024
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Istanbul on Friday as a part of a weeklong regional tour, in line with Turkish diplomatic sources.
Blinken is anticipated to satisfy with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and be obtained by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a part of his fourth journey to Middle East because the Oct. 7 Hamas assault, along with two stops in Europe.
Blinken will go to Türkiye, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt between Jan. 4-11 for conferences together with his counterparts to debate a “number of critical issues,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller advised reporters on Thursday.
He will focus on fast measures to extend humanitarian help to Gaza, mentioned Miller, including that Blinken may also focus on Israel‘s ongoing navy marketing campaign towards Hamas following assaults by the Palestinian group on Oct. 7.
In Türkiye, Blinken will focus on regional cooperation, together with remaining steps to finish Türkiye’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession, mentioned Miller.
BLINKEN’S PHONE TALKS WITH COUNTERPARTS
Blinken held a cellphone name with New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters to debate how the 2 nations will bolster safety within the Indo-Pacific area.
“Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to facilitating an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, inclusive, and resilient,” spokesperson Miller mentioned in a press release on Thursday.
Blinken additionally mentioned the developments within the Red Sea and Gaza with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on cellphone, Miller additionally mentioned.
“Secretary Blinken called for the immediate end of illegal attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis and the release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” he added.
“The two discussed the importance of measures to prevent the conflict in Gaza from expanding, including affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and to avoid escalation in Lebanon and Iran.”
Blinken additionally spoke with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on the cellphone, in line with the U.S. spokesperson.
Blinken reaffirmed the sturdy backing of the U.S. for the swift ratification of Sweden’s entry into NATO, emphasizing that the accession of Sweden to NATO will profit all allies.
Source: www.anews.com.tr