Queen Elizabeth II will arrive in Turkey today
According to information provided by the British Consulate General in İstanbul, the queen’s program will include Ankara, Bursa and İstanbul. The queen and Prince Philip will be accompanied by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.Turkish and British diplomatic officials have interpreted the visit as a sign of “deepening bilateral relations” between Turkey and the UK.
A Turkish diplomat who requested anonymity told Today’s Zaman that the queen’s visit was the natural result of the close relations between Turkey and the UK as he recalled that the annual trade volume between the two was $14 billion and that Turkey had attracted 2 million British tourists in 2007. “The queen’s visit shows that the good relations between the countries will continue in the same way,” the diplomat said. Queen Elizabeth will be welcomed with an official ceremony at the Çankaya presidential palace today by President Gül and his wife, Hayrunnisa.
A dinner will be given at Çankaya this evening in honor of the queen. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife, Emine, are also expected to attend the dinner. On the second day of her visit, the queen will travel to the western province of Bursa, where she will be accompanied by Mrs. Gül. She will visit historic sites in the city.
On Thursday Queen Elizabeth will travel to İstanbul, where she will give a reception on a British ship in honor of President Gül. On Friday, she will host a reception at the British Embassy in the capital. Queen Elizabeth’s foreign visits are closely followed by journalists. A total of 750 journalists have registered so far to cover the queen’s visit in Turkey.
In consideration of this, the queen’s visit is expected to contribute to Turkey’s promotion abroad. London is among the EU capitals that lend strong support to Turkey’s membership in the EU. Hence, the queen’s visit is also seen as emphasizing British support for Turkey’s EU goal. Todays Zaman reported. 13/05/08
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