By IANS
New Delhi : India and Turkey will hold talks on strengthening bilateral relations when Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan meets his Indian counterpart here Friday.
Babacan, the first Turkish foreign minister to visit India in 30 years, is likely to discuss possible civil nuclear cooperation, as his country embarks on the construction of its first nuclear power plant.
Before he left for India, Babacan told the Turkish media that civil nuclear cooperation could be a topic of discussion. “There are countries that use this energy and there are those who possess the know-how. We are constantly in touch with both groups,” said Babacan.
He started his five-day visit Feb 5 with trips to Mumbai and Hyderabad before arriving in New Delhi Thursday.
The delegation-level talks led by Babacan and Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be held Friday afternoon.
The external affairs ministry said the talks will include a range of bilateral, regional and multilateral matters of mutual concern. A bilateral agreement on mutual abolition of visas for holders of diplomatic passports will also be signed.
Babacan is expected to call on Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari and meet Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
During the visit, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey.
Historically, Turkey had warmer relations with Pakistan and had supported Islamabad’s position of Kashmir. But the end of the Cold War and the rise of terrorism have led to closer bilateral ties between India and Turkey. Both share common values of democracy and secularism.
The last high-level visit from India was then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s trip to Turkey in September 2003.