US secretary of state to arrive in Türkiye on Saturday

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Türkiye on Saturday, the Turkish foreign minister said on Wednesday.

"Blinken will arrive (in Türkiye) on Saturday. He will come to Türkiye as my guest, and that is currently planned… if nothing changes,” Hakan Fidan told reporters in the Turkish capital Ankara.

In response to a question about whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit the US, Fidan said no such trip is currently planned.

Regarding visa-free travel for Turkish citizens to Europe, Fidan said: "This is an important issue, we are working on it. In the first place, we focused on easing visa restrictions.”

He stressed that Türkiye is working on visa liberalization and updating the Customs Union.

“We have serious cooperation on migration. That is important, both for us and for them. A constructive process is desired. We also attach importance to the positive atmosphere with Greece within the scope of reducing tensions in the Aegean,” he said, adding that it is important for Türkiye to address all of them simultaneously.

In response to another question about Türkiye’s intelligence and security, as well as ongoing counter-terrorism operations, the foreign minister said: "Very serious reforms have been made in the National Intelligence Organization," and that serious investments in technology are required.

"Incredibly new methods must be developed. Türkiye has made significant progress in this area," he said, adding that the intelligence service has hit hard terrorist networks and apprehended many sleuths of foreign spy agencies.

Regarding the PKK terror group’s presence in Iraq, Fidan said: "It (PKK) does not control even a square meter of land in Türkiye. But they have reached the point where they control large areas of land in Iraq.”

Underlining different equations in the region, he said if the regional actors want, Türkiye will help them solve the terror problem.

"The only reason for our presence there is to fight the PKK. If you embrace the fight against it, there will be no need for us to be concerned," he added.

PKK terrorists often hide in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.