US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erodgan before a picture of the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during their meeting at Ankara Esenboga Airport on December 12, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / POOL / AFP)
Ankara: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed straight into talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after landing in Ankara on Thursday, a US official said.
The plane touched down at 8:14 pm (1714 GMT), an AFP correspondent travelling with him said. Blinken headed straight into talks with Erdogan "in the VIP lounge" at Ankara's Esenboga airport, the US official said.
Washington's top diplomat flew in from the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba where he kicked off a regional tour on Thursday to discuss fallout from the ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
Turkey was expected to put heavy emphasis on its security concerns following the upheaval in Syria, where it has been fighting a Kurdish-led force that Washington backs as a key player in the fight against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists.
Before leaving Aqaba, Blinken said the role of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was "critical" to preventing a resurgence of IS jihadists in the country.
Blinken and Jordan's King Abdullah II called on Thursday for a secure Syria as the top US diplomat began a regional tour following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.
Blinken has called for an "inclusive" process to form Syria's next government that includes protections for minorities after Islamist-led rebels ended the repressive rule of Assad.
