A Turkish parliamentary delegation held talks with representatives of think-tanks, members of U.S. Congress and officials from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. this week.

The delegation headed by Murat Mercan, chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of Turkish Parliament and a deputy from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, told a press conference on Thursday that they discussed Turkish-American relations and regional cooperation during their talks with U.S. authorities.

"The policies pursued by the new U.S. administration and Turkey in the region are very similar," Mercan said.

The new administration was in favor of dialogue instead of isolation, he said.

Mercan said that they put forth their own theses in regard to 1915 incidents during their talks. "We were pleased to see U.S. authorities telling us that Turkey is a very important country for the region. We discussed Caucasus, Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is a very positive atmosphere," he told reporters.

Mercan said Turkish parliamentary delegation also had meetings with representatives of Jewish organizations and they were aware of the importance of Turkey for the region.


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