US secretary of state to visit quake-hit Türkiye on Feb.19-20

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) - The US secretary of state will pay a two-day visit to Türkiye which was hit by twin earthquakes earlier this month.

Antony Blinken will visit Türkiye on Feb. 19-20 to “show solidarity and convey his condolences” following the disaster caused by twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye, a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said.

Blinken will visit the earthquake-stricken region, where US relief operations are also underway, the statement added.

He will also hold a bilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the capital Ankara on Monday, it added.

At least 40,642 people were killed in two powerful earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa.