Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to discuss topics ranging from defense cooperation to regional stability. According to a statement on the U.S. State Department website, Rubio also raised concerns about recent arrests in Turkey tied to widespread protests following the jailing of opposition leader and ‘former’ Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
The U.S. State Department’s readout says:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan today to discuss cooperation on key issues in security and trade. The Secretary requested Türkiye’s support for peace in Ukraine and the South Caucasus. He appreciated Türkiye’s leadership in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and reiterated the need for close cooperation to support a stable, unified, peaceful Syria that is neither a base for international terrorism nor a pathway for destabilizing Iranian activities. The Secretary also noted recent advancements in bilateral trade and encouraged even greater economic partnership moving forward. Finally, the Secretary expressed concerns regarding recent arrests and protests in Türkiye.
Rubio echoed the same concerns in a post on X (formerly Twitter):
Met with Turkish Foreign Minister @HakanFidan today to discuss collaboration on trade and security benefiting both our countries. The U.S. is building on recent trade advancements made with Türkiye. We’re also partnering together on key issues, from peace in Ukraine and the South… pic.twitter.com/0JkCxQRdKw
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) March 25, 2025
However, a diplomatic source close to Fidan told Reuters that Rubio did not express these concerns “in the way he stated” on social media, claiming the posts appeared to have been written ahead of the meeting. The source acknowledged the issue was mentioned but “in a very different way,” without offering further details.
Imamoglu’s arrest, just before his expected nomination as the CHP’s presidential candidate, has drawn international scrutiny. Critics view the move as part of President Erdogan’s crackdown on the widely popular opposition figure ahead of the elections. Meanwhile, human rights groups have condemned restrictions on protests and free speech, along with mass arrests of supporters, students, and journalists—some of whom were recently jailed for covering the demonstrations.
