US secretary of state congratulates Turkish foreign minister on assuming office

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ​​​​​​​congratulated Hakan Fidan on his appointment as Türkiye’s foreign minister on Thursday over the phone, diplomatic sources said.

Fidan and Blinken discussed Sweden’s bid to join NATO, Türkiye-Armenia and Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization processes, F-16 purchase and modernization, and the Ukrainian grain deal, said the Turkish sources on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

The two top diplomats emphasized their will to contact again as soon as possible to discuss the common agenda issues between Ankara and Washington, they added.

Appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday after May elections, Fidan formerly had served as chief of the National Intelligence Organization since 2010.

He took charge of the Foreign Ministry from his predecessor Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday.