Gul hosts historians' luncheon at Cankaya Palace

President Abdullah Gul yesterday played host to two prominent historians at the Cankaya Palace, the latest in a series of invitations to distinguished figures since he took office. His guests were Professor Ilber Ortayli, director of the Topkapi Palace Museum, and historian Yilmaz Oztuna. The luncheon hosted by Gul lasted nearly two hours, with Presidential Secretary General Mustafa Isen and the Foreign Ministry's Gurcan Turkoglu also in attendance. Culture, art, history, and Izmir losing its bid to host Expo 2015 dominated the discussion.