Turkish president undergoes surgery

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul during a summit of Turkic-speaking countries at the Ala-Archa state residence outside Bishkek, August 23, 2012. REUTERS/Vladimir Pirogov

President Abdullah Gül has undergone a surgery today after cutting his trip to Kyrgyzstan short and returning to Ankara due to a recurring ear infection.

Gül was admitted to Hacettepe University Medical Faculty upon his arrival to Ankara earlier in the day.

Gül led a Turkish delegation attending the Turkic-Speaking Countries Summit in Kyrgyzstan, and was planning to stay another day in Bishkek for bilateral meetings with Kyrgyzstani officials. Gül has been suffering from a recurring ear infection that has made it difficult for him to take long flights.

In late June Gül canceled all of his planned visits abroad upon the recommendation of his doctors. He had planned to pay a visit to Sweden in September, but now it is not known whether he will be able to travel.

Joint declaration

Gül left Bishkek after concluding his meetings, together with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Education Minister Ömer Dinçer and other high-level officials. He first attended the summit and then met with Kyrgyzstan President Almazbak Atambayev. After their meeting, Gül and Atambayev signed a joint declaration. Gül and Atambayev also met with Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade to sign the Bishkek Summit Declaration.

The foreign ministers of the participating countries also signed an agreement on financing the Turkish Council’s General Secretariat.
 
Gül underwent surgery on his inner ear back in 2006 when a respiratory infection spread to his ear canals, threatening hearing loss. The Turkish president had to cancel a four-day trip to the United States after undergoing the surgery at Ankara's Gülhane Military Medical School (GATA).