Erdogan like a rock star, says Obama's trade Guru

“I have to say there is energy in this country that can be seen at all hours of the day,” Sanchez told Hurriyet in an interview during his visit to Istanbul to launch the Turkey-U.S. Business Council. Sanchez also praised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “He was a rock star [in his recent visit in the post-turmoil Middle East countries],” he said. There are tremendous opportunities within the region for both countries, where U.S. and Turkish companies could invest through their partnership, according to Sanchez. Cooperation could even be beyond this region, as Turkey is increasingly home to world-class companies that can compete not only in the Mideast, but also in the U.S., Europe and Latin America, he said. Turkish and U.S. businesses already started negotiations on a number of areas, among which the energy sector received special attention, according to the top U.S. official. “The U.S. has important technology and know-how, so we think there are great opportunities in the areas of cooperation in the energy sector,” Sanchez said, reminding that Turkey would need to generate much more energy to meet its aim of becoming one of the top 10economies in the world by 2023. As a follow-up to the council’s initial meeting, he said he would be leading a trade mission to Turkey in December, to promote opportunities for partnerships among firms in both countries and offer support to Turkey’s energy sector.