Iran's Ahmadinejad to visit Turkey

05/08/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit neighbouring Turkey on August 14th to discuss his country's controversial nuclear programme and bilateral relations, foreign ministry officials said on Monday (August 4th). Ahmadinejad will meet his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, in Istanbul, diplomats said. The itinerary of his visit, delayed several times previously, sparked harsh reactions within Turkey's secular circles, following reports Ahmadinejad will not visit the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey. At a news conference Monday, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said "Media should focus on the content of the visit rather than the small details." (Sabah, Hurriyet, Zaman - 05/08/08; Anadolu news agency, Zaman, Turkish Press, Reuters - 04/08/08)