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2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake
WorldEurope

Top US diplomat Blinken to talk aid, Nordic Nato bid in first visit to quake-hit Turkey

  • Blinken will discuss how Washington can further aid Ankara, and the stalled Nato bids of Sweden and Finland, which Turkey has so far refused to ratify
  • The US has sent a search and rescue team to Turkey, medical supplies, concrete-breaking machinery and US$85 million in funding in humanitarian aid

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is welcomed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at Incirlik Air Base. Photo: AFP
Reuters
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Turkey on Sunday for an official visit and discussions on how Washington can further assist Ankara as it grapples with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s southeast and neighboring Syria on February 6, killing more than 45,000 people and leaving a million-plus people homeless, with the economic cost of the disaster expected to run into billions of dollars.

Also topping the agenda will be the stalled Nato bids of Sweden and Finland, which Turkey has so far refused to ratify, saying Stockholm in particular has harbored what it calls members of terrorist groups. Ankara has recently indicated it would approve only Finland.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinkenand Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sit in a helicopter for a tour of earthquake stricken areas of Hatay Province near Adana. Photo: AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinkenand Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sit in a helicopter for a tour of earthquake stricken areas of Hatay Province near Adana. Photo: AFP

The top US diplomat landed at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey’s southern province of Adana on Sunday afternoon, from where he was set to take a helicopter tour of the quake-struck area with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Blinken will hold further bilateral talks in Ankara on Monday.

He is also expected to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sources familiar with the planning said.

Since the earthquake, the United States has sent a search and rescue team to Turkey, along with medical supplies, concrete-breaking machinery and additional funding of US$85 million in humanitarian aid that also covers Syria.

Blinken’s first visit to Turkey as secretary of state has been in the works for some time but comes two years after he took office. That is in stark contrast with some of his predecessors, including Hillary Clinton and Rex Tillerson, who made the visit within the first three months of their terms.

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