Published February 16,2023
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken will go to Türkiye this weekend to overview ongoing US efforts to assist the Turkish authorities’s response to 2 earthquakes that devastated the nation’s southeast, the State Department mentioned Wednesday.
Blinken will go to Incirlik Air Base on Feb. 19 “to see firsthand U.S. efforts to assist the Turkish authorities responding to the devastation caused by the February 6 earthquakes,” spokesperson Ned Price mentioned in an announcement.
From there, he’ll journey to the capital Ankara to satisfy together with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and different senior officers “to discuss continued U.S. support to Türkiye and the Turkish people after the devastating earthquakes, as well as ways to further strengthen our partnership with Türkiye as a valued NATO Ally,” mentioned Price.
“Secretary Blinken will also thank the Government of Türkiye for its support for cross-border aid to affected areas of Syria,” he added.
At least 35,418 individuals have been killed and 105,505 injured within the earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye final week, in accordance with the most recent figures.
On Feb. 6, the 7.7 and seven.6 magnitude earthquakes struck southern Türkiye, centered in Kahramanmaras and shaking 9 different provinces-Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa, affecting greater than 13 million individuals.
In Syria, not less than 3,688 individuals had been killed and over 14,749 injured.
Karen Donfried, the State Department’s Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, informed reporters on a convention name that Blinken will specific the US’s “sincerest condolences” for the lack of life throughout his assembly with Cavusoglu “and discuss how the United States can strengthen our ongoing effort to provide assistance in coordination with the Turkish government.”
The prime diplomats will even maintain a joint press convention in Ankara, and Blinken will go to Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Türkiye’s founder, to take part in a wreath laying in honor of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Donfried mentioned.
Asked particularly if Blinken would meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Donfried mentioned “I’m not giving you a full laydown on the schedule, but what I’ve shared with you is what we’re sharing at this point.”
Blinken’s go to is a part of a three-nation tour that will even take him to Germany and Greece.
He will attend the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 16, the place he’ll handle continued worldwide assist for Ukraine because it seeks to fend off Russian forces, in addition to “assistance to Türkiye and the Syrian people, and our commitment to transatlantic security,” mentioned Price.
After departing Türkiye, Blinken will go to Athens and can meet with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and opposition chief Alexis Tsipras.
During these conferences, Price mentioned Blinken will “discuss defense cooperation, energy security, and our shared commitment to defend democracy. Secretary Blinken will launch the fourth round of the U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue on February 21.”
Source: www.anews.com.tr
