{"id":26370,"date":"2024-12-14T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T22:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=26370"},"modified":"2024-12-13T19:49:38","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T17:49:38","slug":"us-secretary-of-state-blinken-visits-jordan-turkey-and-iraq-to-discuss-syria-and-gaza-crises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/us-secretary-of-state-blinken-visits-jordan-turkey-and-iraq-to-discuss-syria-and-gaza-crises\/","title":{"rendered":"US Secretary of State Blinken visits Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq to discuss Syria and Gaza crises"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>4 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken conducted another crucial diplomatic tour of the Middle East. Blinken visited Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq and engaged in high-level talks centered on Syria\u2019s ongoing transition, counterterrorism efforts, and the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blinken\u2019s trip began in Aqaba, Jordan, on December 12, where he met with King Abdullah II and Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi. Blinken reiterated U.S. support for Syria\u2019s ongoing transition in power and emphasized that Washington\u2019s priority lies with the importance of protecting civilians, including minorities, upholding human rights, and ensuring access to humanitarian aid across Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Acknowledging Jordan&#8217;s contributions amid security concerns in the Middle East, Blinken said, \u201cWe deeply appreciate Jordan\u2019s leadership in providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza through the Jordan Corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both parties agreed on the urgency of concluding a ceasefire in Gaza to secure the hostages\u2019 release and scale up humanitarian aid. King Abdullah and Blinken further explored measures to mitigate regional instability resulting from Syria&#8217;s transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Strengthening ties with Turkey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Ankara, Blinken met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The discussions underscored the collaborative role of Turkey and the U.S. in shaping Syria&#8217;s future and combating extremist threats, including ISIS. Fidan stated, \u201cEnsuring stability in Syria as soon as possible and taking action to prevent terrorism are among our priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">T\u00fcrkiye President <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RTErdogan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RTErdogan<\/a> and I discussed regional security and the political transition in Syria today. The transition must be Syria-led, include all Syrians, protect civilian life, and allow for humanitarian aid to reach those who need it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ShNV2ycejI\">pic.twitter.com\/ShNV2ycejI<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecBlinken\/status\/1867343926820057575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Blinken highlighted the shared vision of a non-sectarian interim government in Syria that would protect minority rights, secure chemical weapon stockpiles, and prevent alliances with extremist groups. He also praised Turkey\u2019s commitment to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, reaffirming that \u201cwe must continue these efforts to ensure ISIS does not re-emerge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Gaza conflict also featured prominently in discussions. Blinken described &#8220;encouraging signs&#8221; of progress toward a ceasefire, urging Hamas to accept a proposed agreement. T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s influence, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Unannounced stop in Iraq<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Concluding his tour, Blinken made an unannounced visit to Baghdad. Blinken&#8217; with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani centered on Iraq\u2019s role in supporting Syria\u2019s transition. \u201cThis is a moment for Iraq to reinforce its sovereignty and stability,\u201d Blinken stated, emphasizing Iraq\u2019s success in dismantling ISIS\u2019s territorial hold and the need for continued vigilance against the group&#8217;s resurgence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Al-Sudani and Blinken agreed on the importance of ensuring Syria\u2019s transition safeguards the rights of all communities, maintains regional security, and prevents cross-border terrorism. Blinken also highlighted Iraq\u2019s strategic importance in the broader fight against extremism, commending its restraint in not intervening directly in Syria\u2019s recent developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blinken\u2019s trip reinforced the U.S. commitment to a multi-pronged approach addressing Syria\u2019s transition, counterterrorism, and regional stability. His engagements with Jordanian, Turkish, and Iraqi leaders underscored the interconnectedness of these issues and the necessity for sustained international cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/US-Blinken-Iraq-visit.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/US-Blinken-Iraq-visit.jpg?resize=800%2C532&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a briefing with U.S. Major General Kevin Leahy, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve\" class=\"wp-image-26373\" style=\"width:840px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/US-Blinken-Iraq-visit.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/US-Blinken-Iraq-visit.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/US-Blinken-Iraq-visit.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/US-Blinken-Iraq-visit.jpg?resize=589%2C392&amp;ssl=1 589w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a briefing with U.S. Major General Kevin Leahy, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force &#8211; Operation Inherent Resolve, at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 13, 2024. (Image Credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds\/Reuters)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As Syria navigates a fragile transition and Gaza remains in crisis, Blinken\u2019s diplomatic efforts spotlight the United States&#8217; role in fostering stability and advocating for peace across the Middle East. His emphasis on inclusivity, security, and humanitarian priorities reflects a comprehensive strategy aimed at addressing the region\u2019s complex challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In all three nations, Blinken emphasized the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need for a ceasefire agreement that would secure the release of hostages and allow for increased aid delivery. Over 44,875 Palestinians have been killed since the escalation began on October 7, 2023, underscoring the urgency of the discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his remarks in Ankara, Blinken noted, \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen in the last couple of weeks are more encouraging signs that [a ceasefire] is possible. The imperative now is for Hamas to agree to the terms and bring this conflict to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken conducted another crucial diplomatic tour of the Middle East. Blinken visited Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq and engaged in high-level talks centered on Syria\u2019s ongoing transition, counterterrorism efforts, and the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[44,1,125],"tags":[75,310,92,60,4,434,14,25,356,27,113,13,11,82,540,7,128],"class_list":["post-26370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east","category-news","category-united-states","tag-conflict","tag-counterterrorism","tag-gaza","tag-humanitarian-crisis","tag-iraq","tag-isil","tag-isis","tag-jordan","tag-middle-east","tag-palestine","tag-security","tag-syria","tag-terrorism","tag-turkey","tag-turkiye","tag-u-s","tag-war"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/US-Blinken-Jordan-visit.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-6Rk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26370"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26376,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26370\/revisions\/26376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}