The leader of AK Party Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish Delegation consisting of representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations, journalists, and the Members of the Parliament visited the U.S.Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz on 10 December 2002 at Washington DC. Wolfowitz provided full support to the Turkish delegation that has started a persuasion tour before the voting to be conducted on December 13 regarding Turkey’s full membership in the European Union and stated that immediate implementation of amendments to the laws required for harmonization would be in favor of Turkey.