Sources said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who would come to Turkey next week, would be the first Russian leader visiting Turkey in the last 32 years.
Ankara would also host European Union (EU) Commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen in September, the same sources noted and stressed the importance of this visit since it would be paid days before the EU Commission would make public its progress report on Turkey. The Commission is expected to publish its progress report on October 6th.
Verheugen will visit Ankara, southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Aegean city of Izmir, and commercial hub Istanbul between September 5th and 8th.
EU Commissioner Verheugen will meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on September 6th.
In the new EU Commission which will take over the office on November 1st and be presided by Jose Manuel Durao Barroso of Portugal, Verheugen will be the EU Commission Vice President and the Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry.
Another foreign high-ranking official who will visit Turkey in September is Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Khatami is expected to arrive in Ankara at the end of September, sources said.
Gul's Meetings
On the other hand, Gul will visit several foreign countries in September, it was learned.
Sources said that Gul was planning to join the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers to be held in Maastricht, the Netherlands on September 3rd and 4th.
Gul is also expected to visit Baltic countries, including Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia between September 9th and 14th.
The same sources noted that Gul might also visit Czech Republic and Portugal in September.
Gul will fly to the United States to join United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 17th. Turkish FM Gul will have a tripartite meeting with Armenian counterpart Vartan Oskanyan and Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammedyarov in New York, where they all participate at the UN General Assembly.
The last meeting of the three ministers was in Istanbul during the NATO summit held at the end of June. In this meeting, Turkey had stated that it could play a role of a catalyst in settlement of problems in the Caucasus. (YE)
