U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met today, Saturday, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as he is set to meet with the Greek Prime Minister, marking the start of a week-long tour aimed at easing rising tensions in the Middle East since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October. Blinken began his discussions in Istanbul with a meeting with Erdogan, who has strongly criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry stated: "Blinken discussed with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan earlier the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, as well as Turkey's ratification process for Sweden's NATO membership."
The meeting between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took place in the Yıldız Palace in Istanbul. During the meeting, they addressed the war in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis, the process of Sweden's accession to NATO, and bilateral and regional issues.
Blinken stated on Saturday that Turkey appears ready to ratify Sweden's NATO membership in the coming weeks. He will then travel to Crete to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Greece, a NATO member, is awaiting U.S. Congress approval for the sale of F-35 fighter jets. In the coming days, Blinken's tour will include Arab countries, Israel, and the occupied West Bank, where he will convey the message that Washington does not want regional escalation of the conflict in Gaza.
