Suggesting that Turkey has turned its back on its allies within NATO and in Europe, particularly at a time when Turkish and US leaders recently had a lengthy meeting during which they discussed a series of global matters, is an incorrect perception, a senior US State Department official has said.

The remarks by Philip Gordon, assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasian affairs, came at a hearing at the US House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Wexler asked Gordon about his view of claims of a shift in Turkey's foreign policy orientation. Firstly noting that he had also read those articles about Turkey's foreign policy, Gordon said that Turkey has been playing "a more active role in its region and seeking a very important role."

Ankara and Washington may have different views on certain issues, Gordon said, adding that US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed a series of issues including the two countries' approaches to Iran, Israel and Syria during their Dec. 7 meeting at the White House.

"I believe that thinking that Turkey has turned its back to its decades-long cooperation with NATO, the US and Europe is an incorrect perception," Gordon was quoted. Highlighting that the meeting between Obama and Erdoğan took a few hours, he said, "This is not a sign showing that a country is moving away from the US."

It is also not possible to say that Turkey, which is continuing its bid to become a member of the EU, is moving away from Europe, he said. "However, it is a fact that Turkey is continuing to be a close partner for us with its big and important cooperation on a regional and global scale.", Today's Zaman reported.