Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was received by President Abdullah Gul in Ankara on Wednesday.

PM Erdogan paid a visit to Gul to submit the list of the 61st Council of Ministers.

Erdogan is expected to appear at a press conference later in the day to make public the new cabinet members.

Last month, Erdogan announced that 8 state ministries would be abolished and 6 new ministries would be established in Turkey in an effort to give the administration a much more productive and speedy structure.

Erdogan said the new Council of Ministers would comprise of 25 members including the prime minister, as the cabinet's 4 members would serve as deputy premiers while 20 members would be responsible for ministries with specialization.

The new ministries expected to be announced in today's cabinet list are Family & Social Policies Ministry, European Union Ministry, Economy Ministry, Youth & Sports Ministry, Customs & Trade Ministry and Development Ministry.

The new cabinet will also include the names to be in charge of the recently restructured Science, Industry & Technology Ministry (former Industry & Trade Ministry); Food, Agriculture & Stockbreeding Ministry (former Agriculture & Rural Affairs Ministry); as well as Environment, Forestry & Urbanization Ministry (set up by merging former Environment & Forestry Ministry and Public Works & Housing Ministry).

The new cabinet structure also envisages the appointment of deputy ministers who will hold a position between the minister and the undersecretary in each ministry. Deputy ministers are expected to be appointed out of the parliament, not among elected MPs.

AA