Victoria Nuland: Kerry to be in Istanbul on the weekend

Spokesperson for the US State Department, Victoria Nuland on Wednesday said that US Secretary of State John Kerry's first stop in his upcoming overseas trip would be Istanbul. In a daily press briefing, Victoria Nuland provided information on Kerry's travel program. "Kerry will depart from Washington this weekend. He will be in Istanbul on April 6. Kerry will meet his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu and high level Turkish officials in Istanbul and discuss many issues, including Syria," Nuland said. "On April 8 and 9, Kerry will be in Jerusalem and Ramallah. Kerry will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas," Nuland stated. "Kerry will be in London on April 10 and 11 for the G-8 Foreign Ministers' Meeting," Nuland said. "John Kerry will be in north-east Asia, covering Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo between April 12 and 15," Nuland stated. In response to a question, Victoria Nuland stressed that US President Barack Obama wanted Secretary Kerry to work with Turkey and Israel so that improving relations turned into a complete normalization.