Ankara, Sept 18: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today unveiled a bust of Rabindranath Tagore and named a road close to the Indian Embassy in the Turkish capital after the great poet laureate. Speaking at a function before flying to the historic Turkish city of Istanbul, Vajpayee referred to Tagore's visit to Turkey several decades back during which he was impressed by Kemal Ataturk's vision for modernisation and liberalisation.

Ataturk had sent 41 books to Tagore which is preserved in Shanti Niketan. Tagore's works like 'Gitanjali' have been translated into Turkish. In Istanbul, the Prime Minister will call on Turkish President Ahmet Nacdet Sezer and participate in a 'Made in India' exhibition and address 250-member Indian community there.

Tomorrow, he will address an India-Turkey joint business meet before leaving for New York to attend the UN General Assembly session which he will address on September 25. Vajpayee will have meetings with US President George W Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other leaders on the margins of the UN meet.

Bureau Report