US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will travel to Turkey today on an official visit, during which he will hold talks about how Washington can further assist Ankara in its efforts to deal with the recent devastating earthquake that killed dozens of people. thousand people in the country.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria on February 6, leaving more than 46,000 people dead and more than a million homeless, with economic damage expected to be in the billions of dollars.

The agenda of talks to be held by the US Secretary of State in Turkey is also expected to be dominated by the issue of postponing the nomination of Sweden and Finland for membership in NATO, which Turkey has so far refused to ratify, saying that Stockholm, in particular, offers asylum for, as it characterizes them as members of terrorist organizations. Ankara has recently hinted that it will only approve Finland’s membership in an international organization.

Blinken will fly to the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey’s Adana province, from where he will take a helicopter tour of the earthquake-hit area. Then tomorrow, on Monday, he will have bilateral talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The US Secretary of State is also expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sources with knowledge of his visit schedule said.

After the earthquake, the US sent a search and rescue team, medical supplies, concrete breakers and an additional $85 million in humanitarian aid to Turkey, which also covers Syria.

Blinken’s first visit to Turkey as secretary of state has been in preparation for some time, but it will come two years after taking office, in stark contrast to some of his predecessors, including Hillary Clinton and Rex Tillerson, whom they visited within the first three months of their term.

Analysts say the delay shows the tense nature of relations, which have worsened since 2019, in particular, after Ankara’s purchase of Russian missile defense systems. While the US has praised Turkey for some of its actions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it remains concerned about its close relationship with Moscow, experts say.

Source: APE-ME, REUTERS