Date set for newly appointed US Secretary Kerry’s visit to Turkey

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. AFP Photo

The date of a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Turkey has been set as March 1, diplomatic sources said Feb. 18.

The visit will be a part of a tour that will include Israel, Italy and Egypt in addition to Turkey, covering both the Middle East and Europe regions, the same sources said.

The first stop of Kerry’s tour will either be Israel or Turkey but was not yet clear when the Hürriyet Daily News spoke with the sources.

Earlier this month Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu confirmed that the recently appointed U.S. secretary of state would make one of his first foreign visits to Turkey, but both Turkish and U.S. officials had declined to mention an exact date.

“In our phone conversation, U.S. Secretary of State Kerry said he wanted to visit Turkey at the first opportunity. The visit is certain, but our teams are working on the exact date for it,” Davutoğlu said at the time.

Washington is expected to make a statement shortly on the date and itinerary of the visit.