US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan today, Saturday, at the Vahideddin Palace in Istanbul.

The two sides discussed the Gaza war file and the humanitarian crisis there, as well as Turkey's ratification process of Sweden's application to join NATO, according to a statement published by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Fidan confirmed to his American counterpart Ankara's aspiration for Washington to approve the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, explaining that the final decision regarding Sweden's NATO membership lies with the Turkish parliament.

During the meeting, the Turkish minister emphasized the necessity of announcing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid without interruption, according to what was published by the Anadolu Agency.

On Friday, Blinken arrived in Turkey at the beginning of a Middle East tour to discuss the developments of the war on Gaza.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement on Thursday that Blinken will discuss a number of critical issues with his counterparts over a week in Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the West Bank.