GUL visits Russia's Tatarstan autonomous republic

As part of his landmark official visit to Russia, the first-ever by a Turkish president to this country, President Abdullah Gul on Saturday visited the Tatarstan Autonomous Republic, the Russian Federation's largest such republic. This visit was also the first of its kind. After his meeting with his Tartar counterpart Mintimer Shaimiev in the capital Kazan, Gul told a joint press conference that Turkey's good relations with its kin, the Tatar people, help to boost relations with Russia. Stating that Turkey opened its first consulate general in Tatarstan, showing how special Turkish relations were, President Gul pledged to continue to support cooperation between Turkish and Tartar businessmen. "I'm sure with this visit we have turned a new page, and our relations will further improve," Gul said. For his part, Shaimiev said that Turkish companies topped foreign firms investing in Tatarstan, and that last year thousands of Tartar people took their vacations in Turkey. Expressing hope for more bilateral flights between Turkey and Tatarstan, he said that Gul and he agreed to cooperate in the Universiade Winter and Summer Games set to be held in Turkey's eastern province of Erzurum in 2011 and then in Kazan two years later. As part of his visit, President Gul also visited historic sites and attended a Turkish-Tartar Business Council meeting. Gul also visited Kazan State University, where he received an honorary degree. Speaking to reporters on his way home, Gul called his talks in Russia very fruitful and expressed pleasure that Ankara and Moscow share similar views on the matters discussed during their talks, adding that both countries place great importance on peace and stability in the region. Stressing the importance of stability and trust both in Turkey and the region for economic development, and referring to Turkey's efforts to solve problems with all its neighbors to establish good neighborly relations, Gul said that Turkey has taken major steps for this in recent years. After returning to Turkey, Gul said that there is a broad consensus on ways to improve or replace the Constitution. "I hope that this will be realized in a very favorable atmosphere, in a favorable manner," he said.