Brazilia's lula due in Turkey

Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) is preparing to host Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Istanbul at the Turkey-Brazil Business Forum meeting. The Brazilian leader, a former labor unionist better known as just Lula, will visit Turkey for the first time and will be accompanied by top ministers and Brazilian businesspeople, the DEIK said in a statement. Lula will attend the forum at the Ciragan Palace on Thursday. The crowded delegation consists of Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and Industry Minister Miguel Jorge, while the businesspeople represent such sectors as energy, infrastructure, aviation and tourism. The forum will also be attended by Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the head of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB). Among the Brazilian businesspeople who will attend the forum is Jorge Zellada of Petrobras, the oil giant which has invested $130 million in Turkey since 2006. Presidents of Turkish football clubs Fenerbahce, and Galatasaray are also invited to the forum. Brazil sent 1,176 football players abroad last year, receiving more than $1 billion in revenues.