[AP]
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Istanbul, his first of nine stops during a week-long trip, Friday afternoon.
Next stop for Blinken will be Hania, Crete, where he will meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis Saturday.
Blinken’s agenda in his talks with Turkey includes Sweden’s accession to NATO, the F-16 fighters and upgrade kits Turkey wants to buy from the US and developments in Gaza.
Blinken will meet his counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Saturday. A subsequent meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is possible, probably early afternoon Saturday.
Greece’s state Athens/Macedonian News Agency says Blinken is expected to pressure Turkey to not further delay ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession. The Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the protocol, which now must be taken up by the plenary session, which resumes on Jan. 16. Erdogan’s signature is also required for final approval.
Ankara is expected to insist on the US approving the sale of the F-16 fighters and the upgrade kits for its aging fleet. The sale has stalled in the US Congress, which wants to impose conditions on the fighters’ use; on its part, Turkey has linked ratification of Sweden’s accession with approval of the F-16 sale.
Blinken was welcomed at the airport by an official from Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, US Ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake, US Consul to Istanbul Julie A. Eadeh and other officials.
