Antony Blinken and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday February 20. POOL / REUTERS
The US Secretary of State promised long-term aid after the deadly earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, and discussed with Erdogan military and economic issues against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
The head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken ended Monday a two-day visit to Turkey, where he showed the support of the United States after the devastating earthquake and wanted to be reassuring on the state of the bilateral relations, sometimes strained.
It was the US Secretary of State’s first trip to Turkey since taking office two years ago. It ended after a meeting of about an hour and a quarter with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara airport.
Strengthen relationships
During their meeting, the Secretary of State reaffirmed U.S. support for Turkey in the face of the earthquake and promised to continue to provide assistance, according to an account by State Department spokesman Ned Price. . The two leaders also discussed support for Ukraine and insisted on working “more closelyon a range of bilateral topics including defence, energy and trade.
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In a context of growing tension, the United States recognizes a constructive role for its Turkish ally: since the start of the conflict in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Ankara – which maintains good relations with Kiev and Moscow – has offered its mediation to end.
Shortly before his meeting with the Turkish president, Antony Blinken went back on his statements the day before, according to which China was considering supplying arms to Russia. “The provision of lethal support to Russia to aid in its war of aggression in Ukraine would have real consequences for our relations with China (…). This would pose a real problem for China in its relations with many other countries, not just the United States.“, he warned Monday. “So we hope they don’t go down that road.“, he concluded. Beijing denied these intentions, described as “fake news“.
Points of contention
After his meeting with President Erdogan, Antony Blinken went to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – the founding father of modern Turkey and a must for any foreign dignitary – where he laid a wreath in freezing rain and signed a booklet. The United States and Turkey, allies within NATO, maintain sometimes tense relations. As a priority, the Turkish blocking of membership in the Alliance of Sweden and Finland, whose candidacies have been pending since May.
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Among other geopolitical issues, the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets promised by President Joe Biden to Turkey. The sale is blocked by Congress in Washington due to concerns over Turkey’s human rights record and threats to Greece. “Biden administration strongly backs package to upgrade existing F-16s and supply new ones to Turkey“, declared Monday Antony Blinken, specifying however not to be able to provide “formal calendar“, any sale being conditional on a green light from the American Congress.
Another point of contention is the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia that Turkey considers “terroristand which was one of the main forces fighting the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) with air support from the international coalition led by the United States.
Humanitarian aid
Antony Blinken’s visit also takes place in the context of the earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria on February 6. Fourteen days after this earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 which devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria, the damage remains considerable and the toll very high: nearly 45,000 people have lost their lives, according to the latest data.
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Turkey announced on Sunday that it would put an end to the majority of this research. No new survivors have been cleared from the ruins for over 24 hours. The United States had deployed, the day after the earthquake, several search and rescue teams in Turkey, about 200 people, and released a first tranche of 85 million dollars in humanitarian aid. On Sunday, Antony Blinken announced additional aid to the country of $100 million.
Read alsoTurkey earthquake: Blinken announces $100 million in additional disaster relief
The US Secretary of State had accompanied his counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, for a helicopter flight over the devastated province of Hatay, in the south-east of the country. He also met in Turkey with representatives of the White Helmets Syrian rescue group, which operates in rebel-held areas in Syria.
After Turkey, Antony Blinken will complete his European tour in Athens where he will have a series of meetings on Monday evening and Tuesday with the authorities of this country, Turkey’s historic rival but also a partner within NATO.
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