Istanbul, Feb 19 (AP) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in southern Turkiye on Sunday and set off on a tour of the earthquake disaster zone accompanied by his Turkish counterpart.

State-run Anadolu news agency reported that Blinken and Mevlut Cavusoglu, left Incirlik air base near Adana by helicopter for nearby Hatay province, one of the areas hardest hit by the February 6 quake.

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Blinken had earlier arrived at Incirlik, where US troops are based, from Germany.

Blinken is on his first trip to NATO ally Turkiye since he took office two years ago. He is due to visit a tent city in Hatay established for those displaced by the earthquake, which has killed at least 44,000 in Turkiye and Syria, before touring an aid distribution centre, said Turkish officials who were not authorised to be identified publicly.

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On returning to Incirlik, he will meet US and Turkish service personnel, as well as Turkish military families affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

The top US diplomat will also inspect American aid efforts organised from the base and speak to members of USAID's Disaster Assistance Response Team, a quick reaction group of disaster experts.

He will fly to Ankara later Sunday for discussions with Turkish officials on Monday, including an anticipated meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As well as the effects of the earthquake, Blinken is expected to discuss Sweden and Finland's efforts to join NATO, which Turkiye is delaying, calling for Sweden in particular to tighten its approach to Kurdish rebels that Ankara considers terrorists. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)