The ongoing war in Gaza, the final steps of Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO bid and US approval of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey dominated Saturday's nearly two-hour talks in Istanbul between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken , the Anatolian Agency reported.
"At the meeting, the ministers discussed the war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Sweden's accession process to NATO, bilateral and regional issues," the Turkish Foreign Ministry reported on the X network.
Fidan and Blinken held several phone calls and meetings after October 7 to discuss Gaza, among other bilateral issues, Sweden's accession to NATO and the US sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Blinken discussed the crisis in the Middle East region and a number of pressing bilateral issues with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the brief official statement said. The meeting was attended by Hakan Fidan and the head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Ibrahim Kalin, as well as US Ambassador to Ankara Jeffrey Flake. The meeting took place in Istanbul's Vahdetin mansion.
After his visit to Turkey, Blinken will visit Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt until January 11. /BGNES
