Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said the "dire situation" in Gaza "requires our urgent attention" and called for a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian aid in the Palestinian enclave.
"And they need immediate humanitarian assistance. So that's why we need to work hard together to make sure that we have a ceasefire and we have unhindered humanitarian assistance inside Gaza," said Fidan.
Blinken, for his part, said the maritime initiative announced by President Joe Biden on Thursday will be "critical" while highlighting the need to expand the land crossings into Gaza.
"We're also intensely focused on seeing if we can get a ceasefire with the release of hostages, the expansion of humanitarian assistance and an environment for working on an enduring resolution," he said.
Blinken added that the ball is in Hamas' court.
Bilateral and regional issues
Several bilateral and regional issues, including the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Russian-Ukraine war as well as the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process will be discussed during the meetings.
Turkish diplomatic sources told reporters ahead of Fidan’s visit that the top Turkish diplomat will convey Türkiye’s expectations regarding the fight against PKK/YPG and FETO terror groups.
F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye
Fidan is also expected to discuss the steps regarding Türkiye's acquisition of the F-16 fighter jets as well as procedures related to the F-35 program, and Ankara’s request to be removed from US' Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions (CAATSA), according to Turkish sources.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the recent steps between Türkiye and the US as "some positive developments."
"The atmosphere in the Congress is positive at the moment," he told reporters on February 15 on the way back from his visit to Egypt. "We can say that the number of issues we agree on with the US is increasing."
US Ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake wrote in an article at Deseret News that the approval of the sale of F-16 jets signals "a commitment by both countries that a strong bilateral relationship is in our collective self-interest."
