US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has concluded his meetings in Ankara, where he discussed a range of critical issues with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other senior officials. The talks covered bilateral relations, regional security, and the ongoing conflict in Syria.
The Turkish Presidency issued a detailed statement on the meeting. It noted that Erdoğan expressed Turkey’s commitment to advancing Turkey-US relations in all fields in the new period. Erdoğan underlined Turkey’s position on preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, unity and unified structure and called for international cooperation to rebuild Syria’s institutions. He stressed the importance of Turkey’s proactive measures to ensure national security and reiterated the need for a joint approach to stabilise the region.
The US Embassy in Turkey also issued a statement summarising the discussions. According to the embassy, Secretary Blinken emphasised the importance of maintaining efforts to defeat ISIS, stressing: “Our countries have worked very hard and sacrificed much over many years to ensure the elimination of ISIS’s territorial ‘caliphate’ and to ensure that this threat doesn’t reemerge. And it’s imperative that we continue those efforts”.
Blinken reiterated the US’s shared interest with Turkey in supporting a Syrian-led political transition to an accountable and inclusive government. He also highlighted the need for all actors in Syria to respect human rights, adhere to international law, and take necessary steps to protect civilians, including minority groups.
The embassy’s statement further noted Blinken’s emphasis on ensuring the continued flow of humanitarian aid to displaced Syrians and the coalition’s ability to carry out its critical mission against ISIS. Blinken also discussed the urgency of reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza to facilitate the release of hostages and the delivery of aid to vulnerable Palestinian civilians.
The visit comes amid heightened tensions in northern Syria, where clashes between Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have continued despite a US-brokered ceasefire in Manbij (Minbìc). Analysts in the US have expressed concern that Turkey’s policies in the region could undermine efforts to prevent an ISIS resurgence.
