Blinken holds surprise talks with Erdogan amid escalating Middle East tension

This marks Blinken's fourth visit to the Middle East since October, coinciding with the onset of the war between Israel and Hamas. Undertaken as part of a larger diplomatic mission in the region that kicked off on Saturday, Blinken intends to hold further talks with political leaders from Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestine, and Egypt. Interestingly, initial media reports had not anticipated a meeting between Blinken and President Erdogan during his time in Turkey.

Blinken's ongoing visit to the Middle East has been prompted by alarming developments extending beyond the Gaza Strip into regions such as Lebanon, northern Israel, the Black Sea, and Iraq. The unfolding conflicts are a straightforward consequence of the tense situation created by the war between Israel and Hamas, as reported by AP.

The session with the Turkish president was held privately. Before this, Blinken had held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The discussions focused on potential measures that could be implemented to influence Iran, alleviate the escalating tensions in the region, expedite the provision of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and kickstart the reconstruction work in the significantly war-affected region.

According to the Turkish news channel, TRT Haber, this pivotal conversation occurred in Istanbul, at the Vahdettin residence.