US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul ahead of his fourth visit to the Middle East since the Gaza war.
President Erdoğan and Turkish Counterpart
In the meetings held between the Turkish leaders and the US Secretary of State, issues of mutual interest including the situation in Gaza were discussed.
Turkish President @RTErdogan and I discussed the conflict in Gaza, shared security priorities as NATO Allies, and desire to expand our bilateral trade and investment. pic.twitter.com/0CgLT5IBa8
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 6, 2024
The US Secretary of State said that our focus is on preventing the Gaza conflict from spreading, Turkey is ready to use relations with the parties to reduce the conflict.
He said that Israel does not want to increase the tension but Israel has to defend itself.
On the other hand, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh sent a message to the US Secretary of State saying that the Balkans should focus on ending Israeli aggression.
He said that American support for Israel has led to the massacre of people in Gaza. Hopefully, Blanken has learned a lesson from the events of the last three months.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken will visit the Middle East for the fourth time since the Gaza war.
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On the occasion of his visit, Antony Blanken will also visit Jordan, Qatar, Israel, West Bank, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE where he will meet with important leaders.