Elizabeth to reiterate Britain's support for Turkey's EU bid

Britain's Queen Elizabeth will pay an official visit to Turkey tomorrow at the invitation of President Abdullah Gul. Accompanied by her husband Prince Philip and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband, the queen will first visit Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and also meet with Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Later she will visit Bursa and Istanbul. The queen is expected to reiterate Britain's firm support for Turkey's EU accession bid, and to say that with its strategic position along energy transportation corridors, Turkey's accession to the Union would enhance the EU's worldwide influence. The queen last visited Turkey in 1971.