US Secretary of State going to Turkey, Europe

US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Turkey and Europe to attend international discussions of various security issues, including Syria and Afghanistan. According to an official announcement, Kerry will travel to Istanbul today to meet the key partners and members of Syrian Opposition Coalition and explore ways that the international community can support the Opposition and accelerate a Syrian-led political transition, the State Department said. Kerry will then travel to Brussels from April 22-24 to participate in a meeting of the NATO foreign ministers, where NATO foreign ministers will meet in the NATO-Russian Council with their Russian Federation counterpart. The Secretary and his counterparts will also discuss how to maintain a strong alliance capable of protecting the member states against current and future threats, in light of regional and global security challenges, the statement said. 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, it said. While in Brussels, Kerry will meet with senior officials of the European Union and have other bilateral meetings, the statement said.