Washington DC, 16 February 2023 (TDI): Secretary of State of the United States (US), Antony Blinken is traveling to Germany, Turkiye, and Greece, from 16-22 February.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will participate in a series of Bi-literal and multi-literal meetings to discuss continued support for Ukraine, and assistance to Turkiye and the Syrian people.
Visit to Germany
In Germany, Secretary Blinken will attend Munich Security Conference that begins this Friday. In this annual gathering, German Chancellor; Olaf Scholz, French President; Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General; Jens Stoltenberg, and top Chinese diplomat; Wang Yi will also attend the Conference.
In addition, in Munich, Antony Blinken will participate in a series of meetings to discuss continued support for Ukraine, and assistance to Turkey and the Syrian people after the powerful earthquakes.
As Ukraine prepares for a new major offensive from Russia, the US, German and French leaders at the gathering are likely to renew their commitment to support Kyiv.
It is also expected that the US is working on a large security assistance package that will be announced around the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion.
Visit to Turkiye
Antony Blinken’s trip to Turkiye comes as rescuers race to reach people trapped under rubble more than a week after a 7.8 magnitude quake caused severe damage both in southeastern Turkiye and northern Syria. The quake killed more than 41,000 people.
Antony Blinken will also visit Incirlik Air Base in Türkiye on February 19 to see firsthand US efforts to assist the Turkish authorities in responding to the devastation caused by the February 6 earthquakes.
The US Agency for International Development’s urban search and rescue teams arrived at Incirlik Air Base last week to help with recovery efforts. Meanwhile, the US military continues its mission to deliver humanitarian aid.
In addition, the Secretary of State of the US will also meet with Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu to express continued support for Turkiye.
Visit to Greece
In Athens, Greece, Secretary Blinken will meet with Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, & Leader of the Opposition Alexis Tsipras to discuss defense cooperation, energy security, & shared commitment to defend democracy.
He will launch the fourth round of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue on February 21. Earlier, Antony Blinken held a strategic dialogue with Greece’s Foreign Minister Dendias in October 2021 at the State Department where the two renewed a US-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement.
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It is also pertinent to note that Greece, Turkey’s regional rival and NATO ally, is seeking F-35 jets from the United States.
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