US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met senior Turkish officials in Istanbul before traveling to Greece. These were his first stops on a week-long trip aimed at calming tensions that have been rising in the Middle East since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October.

In his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Blinken “emphasized the need to prevent the spread of conflict, ensure the release of hostages, expand humanitarian assistance and reduce civilian casualties,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. on Saturday.

Blinken also emphasized the need to work toward a broader, lasting regional peace that ensures Israel’s security and advances the establishment of a Palestinian state, Miller added.

“In Turkey, we have focused extensively on what Turkey can do, using its influence and its relationships, to prevent the conflict from expanding in the Middle East,” Blinken said in a conversation with reporters in Crete on Saturday evening.

“We also talked about the role that Turkey can play both for Gaza in the future, as well as on the difficult issues of Palestinian-led governance, security and reconstruction, and the work it can do to try to produce more lasting lasting peace and security in the region.”

Erdogan, a strong critic of Israeli military actions in Gaza, had done so missed a meeting with Blinken when the US diplomat visited Ankara in November over Washington’s strong support for Israel’s attack on Gaza.

On Saturday, Blinken also met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the talks focused on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

In his conversation with Blinken, Fidan pointed to Israel’s escalating aggression and said it poses a threat to the entire region. He also stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that would allow the sustained delivery of aid, and stressed the need to return to negotiations on a two-state solution as soon as possible, the ministry added.

Foreign Minister @HakanFidan met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul.

At the meeting, ministers discussed the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Sweden’s NATO accession process, and bilateral and regional issues. 🇹🇷🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/UvHbV5YoDs

— Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@MFATurkiye) January 6, 2024

‘De-escalation’

The U.S.’s strained relationship with Turkey predates the current war, with the two nations also sparring over foreign policy issues ranging from NATO to Iraq.

Ankara is frustrated by the delay in US Congress approving a $20 billion deal for 40 F-16 fighter jets. Washington is waiting for Turkey to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership application.

On Saturday, Blinken and Fidan spoke about Ankara’s ratification process Sweden’s NATO membershipsaid officials from both sides. Blinken said they discussed “final steps in the process.”

U.S. officials are confident that Ankara will soon agree to Sweden’s entry after winning the support of Turkey’s parliament last month, a senior State Department official traveling with Blinken told Reuters.

As part of Blinken’s multi-country whistlestop tour, he traveled from Turkey to the island of Crete on Saturday to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Greece, a NATO member, is awaiting U.S. Congressional approval to sell F-35 fighter jets.

After Greece, Blinken’s tour in the coming days will include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the occupied West Bank, where he will deliver a message that Washington does not want a regional escalation of the Gaza conflict. Blinken also hopes for progress in talks on how Gaza could be governed if Israel achieves its goal of rooting out Hamas.

Blinken’s trip has “three main messages,” said Mahjoob Zweiri, a professor of Gulf studies at Qatar University: de-escalation of the conflict; the humanitarian crisis; and what happens the day after the war ends.

“Washington does not appear to be pleased with Netanyahu’s government’s comments about displacing people. They seem to want to put pressure on Netanyahu, especially as London, Paris and Germany say that the status quo in Gaza should not be changed,” Zweiri told Al Jazeera.

Blinken said Washington wants regional countries, including Turkey, to play a role in reconstruction, governance and possibly security in the Gaza Strip, which has been ruled by Hamas since 2007.

Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 22,722 people and injured 58,166 since October 7. The revised death toll from the October attack on Israel is 1,139 people.