US Secretary of State to visit Turkey for 3rd time in 2 months

US Secretary of State John Kerry will attend the upcoming Friends of Syria meeting in Turkey, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on his way to Kyrgyzstan, local media reported Wednesday. Kerry's trip to Turkey will be his third visit to the country in the two months since his appointment to the post. The Friends of Syria meeting will gather 11 countries in a bid to boost the international community's efforts to find a solution to the Syrian crisis. Erdogan also said he would probably visit Gaza after his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on May 16. Erdogan earlier said he wanted to visit Gaza in April. However, Kerry, in his last visit to Istanbul on Sunday, advised Ankara to reconsider the timing of the visit in order to avoid denting efforts to revive the Middle East peace process and normalization of ties between Turkey and Israel.