New US ambassador arrives in Turkiye

ISTANBUL / ANKARA

Jeff Flake, the new US ambassador to Turkiye, on Friday arrived in the country to officially begin his tenure.

Jeff Flake and his wife Cheryl touched down at Istanbul Airport just after 12 noon local time (0900GMT).

Later, Flake and his wife Cheryl made the trip from Istanbul, Turkiye’s largest city by population, to Ankara, the capital.

“We're delighted to be here,” the new envoy told reporters at Ankara Esenboga Airport.

“We'll have more to say obviously after I credential, but let me just say thank you for the very warm welcome. We're delighted to be here in Turkey,” he added.

Flake’s tenure is set to officially begin after he presents his letter of credentials to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye’s president.

He will succeed David Satterfield, who has been the US ambassador since June 2019.

The Senate confirmed Flake to the position on Oct. 26 following a months-long impasse, and he was sworn in to the post on Dec. 11.

Nominated last July, Flake was a key Republican ally for President Joe Biden during the 2020 White House race and endorsed the Democratic nominee after establishing himself as a Republican at odds with former President Donald Trump.

Flake served on both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his time in Congress, which spanned nearly two decades.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan