U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Sunday, February 19, 2023 at Incirlik Air Force Base near Adana, Turkey. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Pool Photo via AP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in southern Turkey on Sunday and, accompanied by the Turkish Foreign Minister, set out on a tour of the earthquake-stricken area.
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported that Blinken and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu left Incirlik airbase near Adana by helicopter for nearby Hatay province, one of the areas hardest hit by the Feb. 6 quake which killed at least 44,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
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Blinken arrived at the airbase where US troops are stationed after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks as U.S. military personnel load relief supplies into a vehicle at Incirlik Air Force Base near Adana, Turkey, Sunday, February 19, 2023. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Pool Photo via AP)
Blinken is on his first trip to NATO member Turkey since taking office two years ago. He is to visit a tent city in Hatay set up for people displaced by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and tour an aid distribution center, according to Turkish officials who were not authorized to be publicly identified.
Upon his return to Incirlik, he plans to meet with US and Turkish military personnel and Turkish military families affected by the earthquake.
Incirlik, home of the US Air Force’s 39th Air Base Wing, was a major logistics center for the distribution of relief supplies. Aid supplies from all over the world were flown into the base and sent by truck and helicopter to those in need, including in hard-to-reach villages.
Blinken will fly to Ankara, the Turkish capital, later on Sunday for talks with Turkish officials on Monday, including an expected meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In addition to the impact of the earthquake, Blinken is also expected to discuss Sweden and Finland’s efforts to join NATO, which Turkey has been delaying.
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