Turkish President in New Delhi, wants stronger trade ties

Turkish President Abdullah Gul arrived in New Delhi on February 7 on a five-day visit. Gul was accompanied by a high-profile business delegation, members of parliament and senior ministers, including Mehmet Aydin, the state minister and co-chairman of the Joint Economic Commission, Health Minister Recep Akdag and Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will on Tuesday hold wide-ranging talks with Gul on bilateral, regional and global issues, including the situation in Afghanistan. The visit takes place in the shadow of Ankara keeping New Delhi out of an important conclave it hosted on Afghanistan last month, apparently at the behest of Islamabad.

Civil nuclear cooperation is also expected to be discussed between the two sides. Turkey is keen to harness atomic energy for generating electricity. India, with its advanced nuclear technology, is ready to offer Turkey help in constructing civilian reactors.

The trip will focus on scaling up the over $3 billion bilateral trade between India, the world's second fastest growing economy, and Turkey, a vibrant economy located strategically between Europe and Asia.

The President held a press conference ahead of his departure at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport, emphasizing that the visit was of vital importance in terms of being the first presidential visit to India in the last 15 years. Gül and the delegation were welcomed at the Indira Gandhi Airport by Turkey’s Ambassador to New Delhi Levent Bilman and senior officials from the Indian Foreign Ministry.

The President's agenda comprises meeting with President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Ansari, Prime Minister Singh, Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and leader of the main Opposition party BJP Sushma Swaraj. President Gül will also receive honorary doctorate from Amity University in New Delhi and attend inauguration ceremony of the new building of Turkey's Embassy in Mumbai.

- Asian Tribune -