Bagis: Washington excited about Turkish PM's upcoming visit to US

European Union Affairs Minister and chief negotiator Egemen Bagis has stated that the American side is preparing for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's upcoming visit to the US in mid-May with great care, adding that Washington is excited to receive a visit from the Turkish prime minister. "The preparations for the visit are being done with great sensitivity and the instructions regarding the preparations for the visit are being given by US President Barack Obama in person," said Bagis, speaking to Turkish journalists in Washington during his visit to the US on Saturday. Erdogan, set to visit the US on May 16, is scheduled to meet with Obama, who has a close relationship with the Turkish prime minister. "As a person who has closely followed the last 30 years of Turkish-American relations, I would like to stress that this is the first time I have seen the American side this excited about a prime minister's visit to their country," said Bagis. Bagis also stated that one of the aims of Erdogan's visit was to strengthen the trade relations between Turkey and the US, which already enjoys good political and military relations with Turkey.