Top US diplomat Blinken to visit Türkiye amid regional tensions
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will pay a surprise visit to Türkiye on Nov. 5, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.
The U.S. State Department has not confirmed nor denied the visit.
Before heading to Ankara, Blinken will visit Jordan, whose relations with Israel have sharply deteriorated over the Gaza war, on a new crisis trip, the State Department said Wednesday.
He will visit Jordan after previously announced talks on Friday in Israel, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Blinken also spent time in Jordan during a trip last month following the Oct. 7 attacks.
Jordan, a U.S. partner which was the second Arab state to make peace with Israel, said earlier Wednesday that it was recalling its ambassador to Israel to protest the “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe” caused by the “ongoing Israeli war.”
Asked about Jordan’s move, Miller said of the United States, “We share the concerns they expressed about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
“But ultimately, we believe that increased diplomacy is important and steps to reduce diplomatic channels aren’t productive to our long-term shared goals and promoting a long-term solution to this crisis,” Miller said.
The top U.S. diplomat’s visit comes at a time when Western countries, including the U.S., are coming under growing pressure to stop Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
Blinken’s testimony during a congress hearing on Tuesday was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, who demanded an immediate cease-fire and end to U.S. support for Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
Over 8,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in indiscriminate Israeli attacks since Oct. 7.
Türkiye has been trying to facilitate diplomatic channels to push for a cease-fire amid incessant Israeli airstrikes, which killed thousands and destroyed hospitals, homes, schools, marketplaces, churches, mosques, refugee camps and more. Erdoğan has assured Türkiye is ready to undertake responsibility if a regional security mechanism is established for the conflict. He also revealed his government was “holding discussions to make sure that perpetrators behind war crimes in Gaza are held accountable before the law.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently said that Türkiye is ready to undertake responsibility in case a regional security mechanism is established amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Turkish authorities are also exploring ways to bring crimes committed by Israel against Palestinian civilians before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Source: Daily Sabah
