The long-awaited statement on İmamoğlu has arrived from the US! What did the US Secretary of State say to Hakan Fidan?

While the lack of an official statement from the US for a long time following the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu had drawn attention, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke publicly about the matter for the first time.

Rubio, who met with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Washington this week, stated that they are closely following the developments in Turkey, saying, "We are watching, we have expressed our concerns. We do not want to see this kind of instability in the administration of a close ally."

FIRST STATEMENT FROM WASHINGTON  

Rubio emphasized that the US administration, which had long avoided commenting on the protests and arrests in Turkey, is watching the issue with concern. Speaking to reporters on his way back to Washington after his meeting with Fidan, Rubio stated the following:

"We are watching the news that everyone else is seeing regarding what is happening. We are certainly concerned about the protests and some of the reports. Turkey is an important ally of ours, and we do not like to see instability in its administration."

RELATIONS BETWEEN THE US AND TURKEY 

The meeting held in Washington on Tuesday coincided with a period in which Ankara seeks to strengthen its relations with the President Donald Trump administration. Stating that they want to continue cooperation with Turkey within the scope of the NATO alliance, Rubio said, "Trump had developed good relations with Erdoğan during his first term, and they want to restart this. We plan to cooperate with Turkey on Syria and other issues."

On the other hand, Ankara had denied reports that the US was concerned about the developments in Turkey. However, in a statement he made on X (formerly Twitter), Rubio stated that he used the same words in his meeting with Fidan, saying:

"I expressed the concern I feel regarding the recent detentions, arrests, and actions in Turkey. The US does not comment directly on every internal political development in Turkey, but I clearly expressed my thoughts on this matter to Fidan."

WHAT HAPPENED?

Following the meeting between Hakan Fidan and Rubio, reports and statements were made claiming that Rubio had expressed his concerns regarding the arrest of İmamoğlu.

However, after the reports emerged, a denial regarding the matter came from Ankara. A Turkish diplomatic source speaking to Reuters had said that Rubio did not make any criticism regarding the arrests in Turkey.