Top US, Turkish diplomats discuss Gaza conflict

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday said he discussed the Gaza conflict with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday.

“We talked about efforts to ensure the conflict in Gaza does not spread further and the provision of humanitarian aid. Emphasized the importance of ratifying Sweden’s NATO accession without delay,” Blinken said on X.

His remarks came a day after his meeting with Fidan who was in the capital Washington DC along with his counterparts assigned by a joint Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit last month to press for a cease-fire in Gaza, which has been under Israeli attacks for over two months.

After meeting with Blinken, Fidan on Friday told Anadolu and Turkish national broadcaster TRT that Türkiye brought up its position regarding the situation in Gaza "very clearly" with the US.

"We express to them very clearly the seriousness of the situation here, that there is no more tolerance, and our stance on what steps need to be taken in this regard," he added.

Fidan also added that they discussed Sweden's NATO membership process and normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.