



ArmInfo.Secretary of State Michael Pompeo won't meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or other government leaders when he visits Turkey next week, a highly unusual situation that U.S. officials chalked up to scheduling conflicts and Turkish officials considered an insult, Bloomberg reports.
The US Secretary of State is planning a long trip to Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasus. He intends to visit seven countries within ten days, including Georgia, Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and France.
However, even before the trip, tensions arose with the Turkish side. The Secretary of State's working schedule does not include meetings with Turkish statesmen. He is not flying to Ankara, but to Istanbul. There is planned a conversation with head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Patriarch Bartholomew. The meeting will discuss "religious issues", and the Secretary of State wants to express "America's firm position on religious liberty," the State Department announced. In light of the transformation of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, this caused great discontent among Turkish officials. The Turkish Foreign Ministry called Pompeo's planned meetings "extremely inappropriate" interference.
Very interesting details have also become known, which are reported by Bloomberg, citing a diplomatic source who wished to remain anonymous. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tried to persuade Pompeo to visit Ankara and hold a bilateral meeting. But he was refused. The State Department made it clear that if the minister wants to talk to the US Secretary of State, he can come to Istanbul.


