UPDATE - Turkish foreign minister Fidan holds key talks during US visit

UPDATE WITH MORE DETAILS, EDITS THORUGHOUT, CHANGES HEADLINE LEDE, DECK

By Gizem Nisa Cebi and Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conducted a series of high-level meetings during his two-day visit to Washington, engaging with US officials on critical bilateral and regional matters.

Fidan met US Congressman Joe Wilson at the Turkish Embassy in the US capital on Wednesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced Thursday.

Wilson is a member of the House Foreign Affairs and House Armed Services Committees and co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on US-Türkiye Relations and Turkish Americans.

No details provided by the ministry about the meeting.

Fidan also received representatives of the American Coalition for Syria at the Turkish mission.

The meeting came amid ongoing regional discussions on Syria’s political and humanitarian situation, as well as Türkiye’s role in stabilizing the conflict-ridden country.

No further details were immediately disclosed on the discussions.

Fidan's itinerary also included participation in a Ankara-based Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) roundtable discussion on Wednesday.

Fidan visited the US to meet his American counterpart Marco Rubio to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues, including the need for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting followed up on issues discussed during a March 16 phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump.

The two sides also discussed efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, with Türkiye expressing support for recent US efforts in this regard.

Discussions also covered the ongoing peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s stability for the broader Balkan region.