As the turmoil and ongoing conflict continue to rage across Middle Eastern nations, US State Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is returning to the region. This will be his 12th visit since the start of the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, 2023.
Blinken will travel to Jordan and Turkey today and tomorrow for negotiations expected to focus mainly on Syria but also touch on long-elusive hopes for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the region since last year.
The State Department also informed reporters that he would meet Jordanian officials, including King Abdullah II, in the port city of Aqaba on Thursday before flying to Ankara for meetings with Turkish officials on Friday.
Additionally, he might also stop at some other important parts of the region, officials said.
Blinken “will reiterate the United States' support for an inclusive, Syrian-led transition to an accountable and representative government,” department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“He will discuss the need for the transition process and a new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities.
Additionally, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance, prevent Syria from being used as a base of terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbours, and ensure that chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” Miller said.
Blinken will be the last senior US official to trek to the Middle East since the Syrian president Basher Al-Assad fled the country on Sunday.
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