In phone call, Türkiye, US discuss Turkish House attack in New York

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday discussed last week's attack on the Turkish House in New York, the diplomatic headquarters of the local Turkish Consulate General and UN Mission.

In a phone call, Blinken also congratulated Cavusoglu on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's victory in Sunday's presidential runoff, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Cavusoglu and Blinken also exchanged views on preparations for a strategic mechanism meeting which is expected to be held in the coming days as well as defense industry cooperation, Sweden's NATO membership bid, and the Istanbul grain deal for getting food safely across the Black Sea to world markets amid the Ukraine war.

Recep Akbiyik, the suspect in the May 22 crowbar attack on the Turkish House or Turkevi, was taken into custody last Friday, according to the New York Police Department.

A US court on Saturday ordered his supervised release.

Turkish authorities have strongly condemned the attack and urged their US counterparts to provide necessary protection to ensure the safety of Turkish diplomatic missions.