Turkish President Gül begins Dutch state visit
AMSTERDAM - The Associated Press
Turkish President Abdullah Gul, right, and Dutch Queen Beatrix, center, listen to the national anthem upon Gul's arrival at the royal palace in Amsterdam Tuesday April 17, 2012. Gul is on a three-day official state visit. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Turkish President Abdullah Gül is beginning a three-day state visit to the Netherlands by laying a wreath at the Dutch national monument in downtown Amsterdam.Gül's visit is the highlight of celebrations to mark 400 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The visit that began Tuesday comes at a time that Prime Minister Mark Rutte's minority tight wing coalition government is reliant on anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders for support in parliament.
Gül is scheduled to meet Rutte in The Hague on Wednesday.
The Netherlands is home to nearly 400,000 people of Turkish origin.
