Since the earthquake, the United States has sent a search and rescue team to Turkey, medical supplies, concrete-breaking machinery, and additional funding of $85 million in humanitarian aid that also covers Syria.
Blinken's first visit to Turkey as secretary of state has been in the works for some time but comes two years after he took office, in stark contrast with some of his predecessors including Hillary Clinton and Rex Tillerson, who made the visit within the first three months of their terms.
Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm in particular to take a tougher line against the Kurdistan Workers' Party , which is considered a terror group by Turkey and the European Union, and another group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt.Linked to the membership bids is Turkey's desire to buy U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, a sale the U.S. Congress has objected to, unless at least Ankara gives the greenlight for the Nordic accession process.
"There will be no transfer of F-16s if Erdogan continues to deny admission to Finland and Sweden ... He doesn't get to have Finland in and the F-16s approved and I think that's a broad sentiment," Van Hollen said in an interview.
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