Erdogan departs for the US

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday left for the United States to pay a two-day formal visit in Washington on an invitation by US President Barack Obama. Turkish Prime Ministry stated on Monday that Erdogan and Obama would hold a bilateral meeting in Washington on Thursday. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz, National Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, as well as a group of nearly 100 Turkish businesspeople will accompany Erdogan in his visit to the US.