U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement.

 

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan about the importance of Hamas’ return to negotiations on August 15 to finalize the framework for achieving an immediate and durable ceasefire in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages. Secretary Blinken expressed gratitude for Turkiye’s partnership in securing the freedom of detained U.S. citizens on August 1 and support for the United States-Egypt-Qatar Joint Statement urging to resume Gaza ceasefire talks.

 

The Secretary and Foreign Minister discussed the urgency for a nationwide cessation of violence in Sudan and the importance of both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces attending talks on August 14 in Switzerland. Secretary Blinken also expressed support for Turkiye’s mediation between Ethiopia and Somalia”, the statement reads.