URUMCHI/KONYA
Chinese officials greeted Erdogan at the Urumchi Airport.
Erdogan is being accompanied by his spouse Emine Erdogan, daughter Sumeyye Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz, Minister of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Binali Yildirim, Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Deputy Chairman of the Justice and Development (AK) Party Omer Celik, many businesspeople and journalists.
Meanwhile, in a press conference held in central Anatolian province of Konya prior to his departure for China on Saturday, Erdogan said that around 24,000 Syrians were staying in Turkey.
"The number of Syrian citizens entering Turkey continues to grow. We are taking all necessary measures and we have no intention to shut down our doors to our Syrian brothers and sisters," Erdogan stressed.
"For the first time in history, a Turkish prime minister would be visiting the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. As such, my current visit to Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region will be an historic one," Erdogan underlined.
