Gormez visits Muslims in China

President of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate Mehmet Gormez traveled to China's Xinjiang province on Monday. As part of the first such official visit in Turkish history, Gormez gave a public speech in the Idgah Mosque in the city of Urumqi and held talks with heads of the city's religious institutions. Gormez is also scheduled to fly to Beijing, where he will hold an official meeting with Liu Yunshan, first secretary of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China. Afterwards, Gormez and Head of the State Administration of Religious Affairs of China Wang Zouan will attend the inauguration ceremony of the Turkey-China Islamic Culture and Arts Exhibition in the city of Yinchuan. Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate and the Islamic Society of China signed an agreement last year concerning the publication of the Quran and Islamic educational books in China for the first time.