Steve Whitkoff, U.S. Special Envoy, stated that he holds regular consultations with Turkish representatives on matters concerning the South Caucasus.
He explained that through U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, he discusses issues related to Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Ukraine with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and National Intelligence Organization head Ibrahim Kalin, RFE/RL reported.
Whitkoff added that such contacts are encouraged by the Trump administration.
“For example, I call Tom and ask what Ibrahim thinks about a particular issue. I could cite many such examples,” Whitkoff said during his speech at the annual Concordia Summit in New York.
According to him, Turkish diplomacy and intelligence wield significant influence on Washington’s policy-making circles regarding the region.
Earlier, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, commenting on the unblocking of regional transport routes, said that in the United States, such issues could be resolved by leasing a road for 100 years, enabling all parties to use it. However, he added that cultural differences in the South Caucasus make such an approach difficult to implement.
