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Turkish FM Fidan meets with top U.S. diplomat Blinken in London to discuss various issues

On Wednesday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in London. The discussion covered a range of topics, including the potential accession of Sweden to NATO, defense cooperation, and the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Anadolu Agency DIPLOMACY
Published June 21,2023
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Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in London, to discuss various issues, including Sweden's accession to NATO, defense cooperation, as well as bilateral ties.

The talks took place in central London, where the two counterparts had arrived for the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

Fidan told reporters before the meeting, "Today, we are here in London to demonstrate our support for Ukraine."

Although the two countries may not see eye to eye on every issue, Fidan noted that their longstanding alliance within NATO and other platforms compel them to continue working together.

Recalling that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Joe Biden established Türkiye-US strategic mechanisms last year in the Spanish capital Madrid, Fidan said the goal of the mechanism is to address the outstanding issues and explore opportunities for deeper cooperation.

For his part, Blinken said it is a pleasure to meet with the "colleague of many years," referring to Hakan Fidan, Türkiye's new foreign minister.

He praised bilateral relations, saying, "There's so much the US and Türkiye are doing together on the most essential, vital issues."

He underlined that during the meeting, the upcoming NATO summit, Sweden's accession to the alliance and defense cooperation between the US and Türkiye will be on the agenda, as well as bilateral ties.

"...and moving forward, a number of issues, including energy and economic collaboration, but the relationship between our countries is deep and rich," Blinken added.

The two ministers arrived at the InterContinental London hotel, where they were attending the Ukraine Recovery Conference.