Blinken: Turkey is an Ally We Care About

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, “Turkey is an ally we care about.”

Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a meeting on "Strengthening the Transatlantic Link" at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Answering a question about relations with Turkey, Blinken stated that there are differences of opinion with Turkey on some issues, but that NATO has shown how effective it has played in reducing tensions, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, among other conflict issues. Stating that this is a very positive example, Blinken mentioned the necessity of continuing to work on reducing tension. Saying that the current differences of opinion with Turkey are not a secret, Blinken added: "Turkey is an ally we have a long history and we care about. It is in our best interest to continue Turkey's commitment to NATO." On the other hand, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg stated that there are some disagreements on Turkey and especially concerns about the procurement of the S-400 air defense system and developments in the Eastern Mediterranean. Stoltenberg stated that he also discussed these issues with the Turkish authorities, said, "NATO acts as an important platform for allies to sit down and try to talk about their problems and find solutions."     This article has contributions of AA.