Sources familiar with the plan said Blinken is also expected to meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Since the earthquake, the United States has sent Turkey a search and rescue team, medical supplies, concrete breaking machinery, and an additional $85 million in humanitarian aid, which includes Syria.
Blinken’s first trip to Turkey as Secretary of State has been in the works for some time, but comes two years after he took office, unlike some of his predecessors, including Hillary Clinton and Rex Tillerson, who visited within the first three months. had traveled of their terms.
Analysts say the delay reflects the strained nature of the relationship, which has worsened especially since 2019 when Ankara acquired Russian missile defense systems. Experts say that while the US has praised Turkey for some of its actions during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is concerned about its close ties with Moscow.
nato deadlock
Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defense pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey and have since sought to enlist its support.
Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm to take a particularly hard line against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey and the European Union, and another group responsible for the 2016 coup attempt .