Blinken meets Erdogan in Ankara, reaffirms US' commitment to quake assistance
Blinken meets Erdogan in Ankara, reaffirms US' commitment to quake assistance
As the death toll from a catastrophic earthquake continues to rise, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday to reaffirm US' commitment to providing the needed assistance.
Blinken extended condolences to all those who were impacted by the earthquakes. According to a State Department press release, the two leaders also discussed "supporting Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression." Both emphasized the need to work more closely on "bilateral issues, including defence, energy, trade, and collective security."
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Earlier on Sunday, Blinken pledged an additional $100 million in humanitarian aid to the nation as he toured Turkey's southeastern regions. This meeting comes against the backdrop of the US' renewed call for Sweden and Finland's quick accession to NATO.
Moreover, Blinken on Monday, during a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, said that Washington strongly stands in support of the accession of both the nordic nations to the transatlantic alliance."Finland and Sweden have already taken concrete steps to fulfil the commitments that they met under the trilateral memorandum of agreement that they signed," Blinken said.
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It is to be noted that Sweden and Finland have been calling for their accession to the bloc however, Turkey's veto power is holding them back.Another important point of discussion that figured in Blinken's visit to Turkey was the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Cavusoglu had expressed his concerns that the sale of F-16 to Turkey should not be linked to Turkey ratifying Sweden and Finland to join NATO.
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Blinken also said that he cannot confirm the timeline for the sale of the F-16 fighter jets but is actively engaged in the communication over the same.
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