In his first trip to Turkey, the US’ top diplomat Antony Blinken will discuss how Washington can further aid Ankara, and the stalled Nato bids of Sweden and Finland, which Turkey has so far refused to ratify.
«:»US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Turkey on Sunday for an official visit and discussions on how Washington can further assist Ankara as it grapples with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s southeast and neighboring Syria on February 6, killing more than 45,000 people and leaving a million-plus people homeless, with the economic cost of the disaster expected to run into billions of dollars. Also topping the agenda will be the stalled Nato bids of Sweden and Finland, which Turkey has so far refused to ratify , saying Stockholm in particular has harbored what it calls members of terrorist groups. Ankara has recently indicated it would approve only Finland. The top US diplomat landed at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey’s southern province of Adana on Sunday afternoon, from where he was set to take a helicopter tour of the quake-struck area with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu. Blinken will hold further bilateral talks in Ankara on Monday. He is also expected to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sources familiar with the planning said.
