The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Friday that it is "imperative" to continue working against ISIS in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, during a visit to Ankara, the Turkish capital.
"Our country has worked very hard (...) to ensure the elimination of ISIS's territorial caliphate, to ensure that this threat does not return. And it is imperative that we continue these efforts," he said in Ankara during a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
"Our priorities include ensuring stability in Syria as quickly as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and preventing ISIS and the PKK from dominating there," added Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey.
Mr. Blinken arrived in the Turkish capital on Thursday evening and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a lounge at Ankara's airport.
Turkey will "never allow weakness in the fight against ISIS," Turkish President Erdogan told Mr. Blinken late Thursday evening during their meeting.
"As the only NATO country that has fought hand-to-hand against Daesh, Turkey will prevent the efforts of the PKK and its extensions from turning the situation on the ground into an opportunity and will never allow weakness in the fight against ISIS," he said, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
Ceasefire in Gaza
Anthony Blinken also said he sees "encouraging signs" of progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza and urged Turkey to use its influence on Hamas to encourage them to accept it, during his visit to Ankara.
"We discussed Gaza, and we talked, I think, about the opportunity (...) to implement a ceasefire. And what we have seen in recent weeks are the most encouraging signs possible," said Mr. Blinken at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
He also urged Turkey to use its influence on Hamas to get them to say "yes" to a ceasefire.
"In my discussions with President Erdogan and Minister Fidan, we talked about the necessity for Hamas to say yes to a possible agreement to finally contribute to bringing it to an end. And we greatly appreciate the role that Turkey can play in using its voice with Hamas to try to reach a conclusion," he added.
With AFP
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