US will back quake-hit Turkey for 'as long as it takes': Antony Blinken

Blinken said in Ankara that 'the United States and Turkey do not agree on every issue but it is a partnership that has withstood against challenges'

The United States will support Turkey "for as long as it takes" after its devastating earthquakes, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, while his Turkish counterpart said there was no need to wait for a disaster to improve ties.

Blinken was speaking after his visit on Sunday to the quake zone, where rescue work was winding down two weeks after the worst disaster in the country's modern history. The quake has killed more than 46,000 people in Turkey and northwest Syria so far.

"The United States and Turkey do not agree on every issue but it is a partnership that has withstood against challenges," Blinken told a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.

Also Read | Blinken tours Turkiye earthquake zone, pledges $100 mn aid

Total US humanitarian assistance to support the earthquake response in Turkey and Syria has reached $185 million, the US State Department has said.

Relations between the NATO allies have been strained since 2019 when Ankara acquired Russian missile defence systems, and Washington has found it increasingly difficult to navigate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's hard-right policies at home and abroad.

Also Read | Turkish internet bites back at state after deadly quake

Cavusoglu told reporters he had discussed a planned $20 billion deal for US F-16 warplanes with Blinken, and said that Turkey would like the Biden administration to send the formal notification for the F-16s to Congress.

He added that Ankara expected support from Congress to push through the deal.

Standing alongside Blinken, Cavusoglu said it was not possible for Turkey to purchase F-16 warplanes with pre-conditions and that he believed the issue can be overcome if the US administration maintains a decisive stance.