Antony Blinken tries to stem deteriorating relations with Turkey with visit to Ankara
Antony Blinken is making a series of visits to destinations that were not on his agenda. The Secretary of State has travelled to several countries in the Middle East without prior announcement in some cases. He began by visiting Israel and then went on to the West Bank, Cyprus and Iraq - the latter two unannounced on his schedule - and now Turkey.
In Ankara on Monday morning he met with his counterpart Hakan Fidan to discuss the conflict in Gaza, after Blinken had met with Foreign Ministers from six Arab countries. The US Secretary of State said after his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani that one of the priorities should be to "listen to the voices of Palestine for the day after, for the future of Gaza and the West Bank".
The meeting with Turkish representatives looks complicated for Antony Blinken. Turkish sources claim that his intention is to "try to persuade the United States to put an end to its blind support for Israel, which hinders all mediation efforts", according to EFE news agency. It is important to note that Turkey and Israel broke off diplomatic relations last week and withdrew the ambassadors of both countries. This is why the situation in Ottoman territory is so delicate.
Even with hopes that the country presided over by Recep Tayyip Erdogan could act as mediator - a role that Erdogan does not dislike at all, as he has made clear on numerous occasions - the talks with Turkey look delicate. Although Ankara had initially been open to negotiations in which it would mediate between the parties, the latest Israeli offensives have hardened its position to the point of breaking off diplomatic ties.
In fact, Erdogan himself assured that he has no intention of talking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again. However, Turkish analyst Ahmet Uysal, speaking to EFE, believes that "there is still room to convince the United States of the cost of the Gaza war to its own interests in the region and the world". In this way, Washington should take a certain distance from Israel, something that does not seem to be an easy decision given the close ties that have always linked the two countries.
Prior to this meeting, Blinken has been paving the way during his visit to Iraq, which was shaken by attacks by Iranian militias during his meeting with the prime minister. The talks the secretary of state described as "good, productive and frank". He also used the occasion to send a message to those who have attacked military bases in Iraq and Syria: "It's very important to send a very clear message to anyone who wants to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our personnel here or anywhere else in the region: Don't do it".
He highlighted the progress that has been made in recent years with the Iraqi government and welcomed the Iraqi Prime Minister's "clear condemnation" of the attacks on US bases. He expressed his determination to put an end to these actions and Blinken believes that "no country wants to have militias involved in violent activities that are clearly against Iraq's interests, its own sovereignty and our interests".