Obama due to arrive in Ankara for symbolic two-day Turkey visit

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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Obama is due to land in Turkey's capital city of Ankara approximately at 9:30 p.m. (1830 GMT), where he is scheduled to address parliament and visit the mausoleum of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, on Monday.

After giving an address in parliament on Monday afternoon, Obama will fly to Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, where he will attend a meeting Tuesday of the Alliance of Civilizations, a forum sponsored by Turkey and Spain to promote understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.

Obama will also tour Haghia Sofia, which once was a Byzantine church, and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul’s historical Sultanahmet district.

The visit, Obama’s first to a Muslim country, is seen as symbolic in terms of unity and strategy, as the new administration tries to improve the U.S.’ tarnished image abroad. One of the main reasons for Obama’s surprisingly early visit is to win back the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens of Turkey - one of the countries where public opinion about America has reached record low levels.

Security boosted 

Turkey has launched an extensive security operation to make sure that Obama’s first visit Turkey passes without a hitch. Military jets and police helicopters will patrol a no-fly zone over the skies of the capital Ankara when Obama arrives, AP reported citing an official.

Hours before his arrival, security officials closed off traffic at a street leading to his hotel. Police, some with sniffer dogs, are setting up barricades around the building.

According to local media, police snipers, riot police and anti-terrorism agents will be deployed. Istanbul’s governor also has said some roads, pedestrian walkways and tram routes will be closed when Obama visits the city on Monday and Tuesday. Around 8,800 policemen will be on duty.

Obama protests

Hours before his arrival, several dozen people were protesting against Obama’s visit in Ankara and Istanbul.

In a main square in Istanbul, members of a leftist group shouted “Obama, go home” and waved Turkish flags. Police did not intervene.

Protester Abdullah Turker said he did not want Washington to use Turkey as a corridor for the American withdrawal from Iraq. He said he feared the U.S. would encourage separatism by urging Turkey to make concessions to its Kurdish citizens.

Meanwhile dozens of members of an Islamic group gathered in Ankara, protesting the U.S.’s position regarding Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Trade relations

The visit is expected to bring momentum to Turkey-U.S. political, economic and cultural relations. According to figures from the Turkish Statistic Institute, or TURSTAT, foreign trade volume between Turkey and the U.S. is around $16 billion annually.

Turkey is the 8th country which the U.S. makes the most exports, while on the fourth place in import, the figures also show.

Turkey's export rate to the U.S. was $4.3 billion, while imports reached $12 billion in 2008.

Turkey mostly exports ready-made clothes, textile products, machines, electrical and mechanical tools, jewelry, iron and steel products, vehicles, food products, tobacco and copper products to the United States.

Direct foreign investment from the United States to Turkey is also increasing as the total investment amount of 733 U.S.-capital companies operating in the country increased from $848 million in 2006 to $4.2 billion in 2007.