Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) holds a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ankara, Türkiye, Dec. 12, 2024. Blinken arrived in the Turkish capital on Thursday. Upon his arrival, Erdogan held a meeting with him on the situation in Syria. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
ANKARA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting Friday on combating terrorism and achieving stability in Syria, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"Our priorities include ensuring stability in Syria and preventing the dominance of terrorist organizations such as IS (Islamic State) and the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party)," Fidan said at a joint press conference with Blinken in the capital Ankara.
Fidan emphasized the alignment between the two nations in addressing key challenges in the region and said their talks focused on exploring solutions to Syria's ongoing crisis and broader regional issues.
"We agreed that a ceasefire in Gaza should be reached as soon as possible," Fidan said.
Blinken, for his part, acknowledged Türkiye's role in influencing Hamas to reach a hostage ceasefire agreement, adding that there's broad agreement on expectations for the interim government in Syria -- one that is inclusive, protects minority rights, rejects extremism, and poses no threats to its neighbors.
The two officials also reiterated their commitment to ongoing counter-IS efforts.
Blinken arrived in the Turkish capital on Thursday following a visit to Jordan. Upon his arrival, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting with him on the situation in Syria.
