Vajpayee to visit Turkey

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is expected to visit Turkey in late May or early June to return a 2000 visit by his Turkish counterpart Bulent Ecevit, which had annoyed Pakistan, a Turkish diplomat said on Thursday.
The programme for Vajpayee's visit has not yet been finalised, he added. Ecevit, an ardent admirer of Indian culture, travelled to India in April 2000, becoming the first Turkish premier to visit the country in 14 years.

Ecevit turned down an invitation to include Pakistan, India's neighbour and arch-rival, on his trip due to a "busy schedule," but officials close to the prime minister hinted at the time that the snub was linked to the military regime in the country, a traditional Turkish ally.
Ecevit had departed to India with a promise to visit Pakistan as soon as possible. An aide to Ecevit told reporters on Thursday that, "A visit to Pakistan is always on the agenda, but nothing definite has been scheduled yet."

Turkey has maintained a balance of friendly relations with both India and Pakistan, which are bitterly at odds over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

The late Rajiv Gandhi was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Turkey, in 1988, although President K.R. Narayanan visited in 1998.
Bureau Report