Kerry to travel to Turkey, Belgium

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Turkey and Belgium this weekend and next week, the State Department has said. “Secretary Kerry will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, on April 19 to meet with key partners and members of the Syrian Opposition Coalition to further explore ways that the international community can support the opposition and accelerate a Syrian-led political transition,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday. The statement said that Kerry will be in Brussels, Belgium, from April 22 to April 24 to take part in a meeting of NATO foreign ministers to discuss how to maintain a strong alliance while protecting it from threats. “In addition, NATO foreign ministers will meet in the NATO-Russian Council with their Russian Federation counterpart. They will also join with non-NATO contributors to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and representatives of the Government of Afghanistan to review the status of the joint Afghan/ISAF transition plan, and to discuss NATO’s post-2014 mission in Afghanistan,” Psaki said. “While in Brussels, the Secretary will meet with senior officials of the European Union and have other bilateral meetings,” the statement said.