Gul to visit Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan next week

President Abdullah Gul will start a tour of Central Asia next week, visiting Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Gul is scheduled to visit Kyrgyzstan next Friday, where he will meet with his Kyrgyz counterpart Kurmanbek Bakiyev and then proceed to Dushanbe, Tajikistan to meet with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon. Economic cooperation and expanding business ties are expected to be the main focus of Gul, who will be accompanied by a group of businessmen in his Central Asia trip. Gul and Rahmon will reportedly discuss ways to increase the existing trade volume between the two countries. He will also meet with Turkish businessmen operating in Tajikistan.