Blinken's first visit to Turkey as Secretary of State has been in preparation for some time.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will arrive in Turkey on an official visit on Sunday, February 19, and will discuss , how Washington can help Ankara deal with the consequences of the devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people. The issue of will also be discussedentry of Sweden and Finland into NATO. This was reported by Reuters.
An earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria on February 6, killing more than 45,000 people, leaving more than a million homeless, and economic damage strong> is expected to be in the billions of dollars.
Among the topics of the negotiations will also be the question of the applications of Sweden and Finland to join NATO, which Turkey has so far refused to ratify, claiming that Stockholm, in particular, harbors members of terrorist groups. Ankara recently said it could only approve Finland's bid.
Blinken's plane will land at Incirlik Air Base in the southern province of Adana. He will inspect the areas affected by the earthquake. On Monday, February 20, Blinken will hold bilateral talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
The secretary of state is also expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
After the earthquake, the US sent a search and rescue team, medical supplies, concrete-breaking equipment to Turkey, as well as additional funding of $85 million for humanitarian aid, which also extends to Syria.
Blinken's first visit to Turkey as secretary of state has been in the works for some time, but comes two years after he took office, in stark contrast to some of his predecessors, including Hillary Clinton and Rex Tillerson, who visited within the first three months of their terms. .
The delay, according to analysts, shows the strained nature of the relationship, which has worsened especially since 2019, when Ankara acquired Russian anti-missile defense systems. While the United States praised some of Turkey's actions during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it remains concerned about the country's close relationship with Moscow, experts say.
Blocking Sweden and Finland from NATO
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Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but faced objections from Turkey. Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm, in particular, to take a tougher stance on the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Turkey considers a terrorist group, as well as another group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt. In January, Erdogan said he was ready to ratify only Helsinki's application.
Read also: Finland is ready to join NATO without Sweden if Turkey does not ratify Stockholm's application , which the US Congress opposes unless Ankara at least gives the “green light” to the process of joining the Nordic Alliance. The alliance will not be enough.
Joe Biden's administration has repeatedly stated that it supports the sale of aircraft, and although it has refrained from linking the two issues, it has acknowledged that the approval of the Nordic countries' entry into the Alliance will have a positive effect on representatives of Congress.
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Turkey expressed its disappointment with the fact that these issues are increasingly being linked together. Erdogan's chief adviser on foreign policy, Ibrahim Kalin, expressed hope that the F-16 agreement would not become a “hostage” for Sweden and Finland's membership in NATO.
