GUL’S FIRST TWO YEARS AT CANKAYA: EMBRACING TURKEY AND THE WORLD
Today’s Zaman
Aug 29 2009
Turkey
Two years have passed since Parliament elected Abdullah Gul as the
11th president of the Republic of Turkey on Aug. 29, 2007.
As head of state, Gul has been trying to reactivate Turkey’s foreign
policy, coming together at important summits with world leaders and
receiving many foreign dignitaries, including US President Barack
Obama, at the Cankaya presidential palace.
During his term in office, Gul has traveled abroad 47 times, visiting
35 countries. The president has been active in efforts to mediate the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and between Afghanistan and Pakistan,
representing Turkey all over the globe. Gul is met with great shows of
love from the people when he visits various provinces of Turkey and
has at every opportunity voiced messages of unity and togetherness,
emphasizing the richness to be found in diversity.
President Gul, who has demonstrated intense effort to bring different
state institutions into harmony, has also taken history-making steps
in the ongoing Kurdish initiative. During the Gul presidency, Cankaya
has hosted a number of important events, from the world of sports to
education and from history to the rights of disabled persons.
The path to foreign policy runs through Cankaya President Gul has
accomplished many of his foreign policy goals. Under the heading of
balanced and close relations with major powers, he has paid visits to
the US, Russia, China and Japan. He greeted US President Obama during
his visit to Turkey on April 5-7. The visit stood out for its focus
on the concept of a "model partnership" and was one of Obama’s first
official overseas visits.