Foreign Minister of Turkey Hakan Fidan will go on a two-day official visit to Washington on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties as well as the latest developments in Syria and Gaza, marking the first bilateral visit under the new U.S. administration, Turkish media reports.
Fidan will meet with his United States counterpart Marco Rubio and other officials, planning strategic steps that can be taken in Turkish-U.S. relations as well as upcoming visits on the level of leaders.
Türkiye's top diplomat is expected to voice the perspectives and expectations of Türkiye, including lifting sanctions in Syria and developing cooperation between Ankara and Washington on humanitarian aid as well as the reconstruction of the war-torn country.
Furthermore, Fidan will voice that coordination will be needed to fight Daesh and manage the camps. Türkiye has previously voiced it can take over responsibility for the security of the camps, where former Daesh members and their families reside, but that the international community must be ready to repatriate their citizens linked with Daesh.
Cooperation must also be strengthened on dissolving YPG/PKK elements under the roof of the SDF and the struggle against other terrorist organizations, including FETÖ, Fidan will add.
Earlier this month, the interim Syrian government reached an agreement with the YPG-dominated SDF, which includes a cease-fire with the Syrian army.
It marks a breakthrough that would bring most of Syria under the control of the government headed by the group that led the ousting of dictator Bashar Assad in December.
The agreement provides for transferring SDF-controlled civilian and military institutions in northeast Syria, as well as border crossings, an airport, and oil and gas fields.
Türkiye and the U.S. have a long history of military and economic cooperation. However, their ties have drifted away from a strategic partnership in recent years as disagreements between the two long-standing treaty allies have widened.
The disputes include the U.S.' cooperation with the PKK terrorist organization's Syrian wing, the YPG, its stance toward the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), disagreements over Ankara's purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system and Washington's sanctions against Türkiye.
