US Foreign Minister Blinken For The Fourth Time Visiting The Middle East

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken/PHOTO via Instagram @secblinken

JAKARTA - United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made his fourth visit to the Middle East since October 7, including two stops in Europe, the United States State Department said.

Blinken will visit Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt to hold meetings with foreign partners to discuss "a number of critical issues," Department spokeswoman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Blinken will discuss immediate steps in adding humanitarian aid to Gaza, Miller said.

He explained Blinken would also discuss Israel's military offensive against Hamas which continues to this day.

Blinken's other agenda is an attempt to free the hostages who are still being held and steps to prevent the Houthi attack on the Red Sea, Miller said.

Meanwhile in Turkey, Blinken will discuss regional cooperation, including the final steps to finalize Turkey's ratification for the entry of Sweden as a NATO member.

In Greece, Blinken will focus on discussing support for Ukraine and maintaining the maritime security of the region.

We don't think every conversation on this trip will be smooth. Obviously, there will be complicated problems faced by each region and difficult choices," Miller said.

"But the Foreign Minister believes it is the US responsibility to lead diplomatic efforts to answer all those challenges, and he is ready to do so later."