Erdogan Evaded, and Blinken Met with the Turkish Foreign Minister

Tensions in the relationship? U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Turkey this evening and met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. According to the U.S. State Department's statement, the conversation lasted for about two and a half hours, during which "they discussed the crisis in the Middle East and talked about increasing humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip."

On the other hand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided not to meet with the American Secretary of State. According to reports in the Turkish media, he preferred to tour the mountains of the Black Sea region. Many speculated that Erdogan's decision was an attempt to avoid the meeting with Blinken. However, Turkish government officials emphasized that Foreign Minister Fidan is the Turkish counterpart to the American Secretary of State. Nevertheless, in the past, Erdogan has also had direct meetings with Blinken, with their last meeting taking place last February.

As mentioned, in recent months, there has been a deterioration in the relations between Erdogan and Blinken due to the conflict in Gaza and broad U.S. support for Israel. A few weeks ago, Erdogan stated that "the fact that the U.S. is sending carriers to the region does not contribute to advancing peace. Secretary of State Blinken said that he is coming to Israel as a Jew, not as a minister – what does that say about him? If someone were to say that they are going to Turkey as a Muslim, how would you react?"