Gul in Portugal

President Abdullah Gul and First Lady Hayrunnisa Gul arrived in Lisbon on Monday to pay a state visit to Portugal at the invitation of President Cavaco Silva. In Lisbon, the First Couple was welcomed by Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva and First Lady Maria Cavaco Silva with an official ceremony at the Belem Palace. Prior to the official welcoming ceremony, Gul laid a wreath at the tomb of Luis Vaz de Camões, a well-known Portuguese poet, and he later explored the Jeronimos Monastery, which was built in 1502 to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s first journey to India. After the ceremony, the First Couple had a tete-a-tete with their Portuguese counterparts. The two leaders afterwards chaired the talks between their delegations.