Gul ends his visit to Britain

President Abdullah Gul, and his wife, Hayrunnisa Gul, who paid an official visit to London completed their talks and returned to Turkey yesterday. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband, Duke of Edinburgh Philip, bid farewell to them at the main entrance of the Buckingham Palace. Afterwards, Gul visited the Turkish Marines Cemetery in Portsmouth, where he laid a wreath over a stone placard carved in the memory of Ottoman Turkish marines who died of an epidemic in 1850 while training in Portsmouth. Stating that both Turkish and British soldiers have fought together during the Crimean War, Gul said, "We have been occasionally for and against with Britain. But we could have succeeded in establishing strong friendships, even if we were rivals in a war." Gul said that there were many Turkish soldiers who were killed in almost every corner of the world, adding that the Turkish nation is very self-sacrificing. Speaking about his visit to Britain, Gul said that he was welcomed with amazing hospitability. Gul said that they have talked with their interlocutors about investment opportunities for high-level businessmen, adding, "You could always hold your head high abroad with a full saddlebag. In other words, a good economic performance and lack of economic problems which are enjoyed by Turkey at a time when many European countries suffer many economic problems and crises display Turkey as a shining star here. I'm greatly proud of this situation."