Foreign Affairs

The visit

Secretary of State Blinken flies over the earthquake zone in Turkey

The head of American diplomacy visited the camps for displaced people and did an aid check. Monday meeting with Erdogan on the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO

19/02/2023

Antony Blinken arrived in Turkey where he shook hands with his Turkish counterpart and then toured the earthquake-stricken area accompanied by his Turkish counterpart.

Together with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the head of American diplomacy flew by helicopter over the province of Hatay, one of the areas most affected by the February 6 earthquake. The departure took place from the Incirlik air base near Adana where there is an American contingent.

Blinken is on his first trip to the NATO-allied country since taking office two years ago. He is scheduled to visit one of the tent cities of Hatay where the displaced by the earthquake, which killed at least 44,000 people in Turkey and Syria, are staying.

In the evening he will fly to Ankara and tomorrow, Monday, he will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In addition to the problems related to the earthquake, Blinken is expected to discuss the request for NATO membership of Sweden and Finland that Ankara opposes because of the issue of Kurdish PKK rebels that the latter considers terrorists.