US Deputy Secretary of State to visit Turkey next week
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit Turkey next week as part of a diplomatic tour that includes countries in Europe and Southeast Asia, the State Department said Friday.
Sherman will depart May 25 for Brussels to meet with Belgian, European Union and NATO officials before heading on to Turkey where in Ankara she will “engage with government officials and civil society,” the department said in a statement.
“Deputy Secretary Sherman will underscore the importance of the U.S.-Turkey relationship as we work together with our NATO ally to confront mutual challenges, and discuss areas of concern,” it added.
Following Turkey, Sherman will depart for Southeast Asia where she will visit Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand before traveling to the U.S. state of Hawaii.
In Southeast Asia Sherman will “reaffirm the United States’ commitment to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) centrality and address a range of bilateral and regional issues, including efforts to urge the Burmese military to cease violence, release all those unjustly detained and restore Burma (Myanmar) to the path of democracy,” the State Department said.
In Hawaii, she will meet with United States Indo-Pacific Command to discuss strategy in the region.
This article originally appeared in DAILY SABAH on 21 May 2021.