Erdogan begins Russia visit

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday began a two-day visit to Russia as the official guest of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Erdogan was accompanied by his wife Emine, State Minister Zafer Caglayan, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker, and Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim. Speaking to a group of Turkish businessmen in Russia , Erdogan said, " Turkey is one of 14 countries whose credit ratings improved during the economic crisis. Our economic recovery will speed up. We're on the verge of establishing a high-level inter-governmental council with Russia . The most important part of relations is the energy issue. We expect $100 billion in energy investments in Turkey in 20 years. I hope the visa requirements between our countries are removed."