German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim at the first visit since July's failed coup in Ankara, Turkey, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ANKARA (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump seemed to be making the fight against international terrorism a top priority.

Citing her conversation with Trump on Saturday and what she had read, she said there was a lot of continuity between the old and new U.S. governments in this regard.

Merkel said during a visit to Ankara that she had open and frank discussions with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on a series of controversial issues, including Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.

She said she had stressed that German authorities were taking action against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and called for the German and Turkish interior ministries to increase their cooperation on that issue.