Turkish parliamentary delegation seeks to deepen ties with US Congress

WASHINGTON

Fuat Oktay, head of the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, held talks with members of the U.S. Congress this week as a parliamentary delegation seeks to strengthen ties between the two legislatures.

Speaking to Turkish media in Washington, Oktay said communication channels between Ankara and Washington at the government and head-of-state levels were “extremely positive,” but added that progress on the congressional track has moved more slowly, which he attributed to the U.S. focus on domestic politics.

Oktay said the delegation will continue meetings through Friday, with plans to engage the chairs of the foreign relations committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as other lawmakers.

During the meetings, said Oktay, Türkiye’s potential contributions to European security "due to relations in the transatlantic dimension" as well as continuing U.S. sanctions on Türkiye are expected to be discussed.

The immediate lifting of these sanctions would have a very positive impact on both regional peace and Turkish-U.S. relations, he said.

Oktay also said Türkiye’s foreign policy is “based on principles,” stressing respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and cited issues including the Russia-Ukraine war, relations with Syria and the Palestinian group Hamas, and developments between the U.S. and Iran.