ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday pressed visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to support an "immediate" ceasefire in the Mideast war, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
"Minister Fidan requested an immediate ceasefire in Gaza," the source said, adding that the sides agreed "on the need to prevent civilians from being harmed in Gaza".
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Washington was working "very aggressively" to dramatically expand the amount of aid reaching trapped civilians in Gaza.
The top US diplomat held 2.5 hours of one-on-one talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan focused on soothing the anger at both Israel and the West.
Nato member Türkiye has been an increasingly vocal critic of the way Israel has been pursuing its month-long offensive against Palestinians.
Blinken told reporters after the meeting that Washington was aware of "the deep concern" in Türkiye "for the terrible toll" in Gaza.
"We are working, as I said, very aggressively on getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza and we have very concrete ways of doing that," Blinken said before boarding a plane for Japan.
"I think we will see in the days ahead that the assistance can expand in significant ways," he added without providing details.
Ankara has a muscular foreign policy and stakes in conflicts across the Middle East that occasionally fail to align with those of Washington or other Nato allies.
Blinken called his talks in Ankara "very good, lengthy and productive".
Blinken faced a chorus of Arab calls to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a whirlwind tour of the Middle East that saw him visit both Iraq and the West Bank on Sunday.
Blinken said on Monday only that "pause could help" secure more aid deliveries to Gaza. — AFP
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