US Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicks off his latest crisis tour with a meeting in Istanbul with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
It’s his fourth official visit to the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war three months ago, sparked by the October 7 onslaught by the Hamas terror group, and comes with fears mounting that the conflict will engulf swathes of the Middle East.
The talks in Turkey are also expected to cover Turkey’s process to ratify Sweden’s membership of NATO, according to a senior State Department official traveling with Blinken.
Blinken is scheduled later to meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, an outspoken critic of Israel in recent weeks.
He will also visit Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.
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From the Liveblog of
Saturday, January 6, 2024
