Türkiye welcomed two high-profile visitors in quick succession during the final days of January 2007. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi arrived Monday for a two-day official visit, meeting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and parliament speaker Bulent Arinc. The two prime ministers signed a political cooperation agreement and reviewed a memorandum on easing visa requirements for their citizens.
Prodi and Erdogan then traveled to Bolu to open the Istanbul-Ankara section of the Bolu Mountain Tunnel, built by Italian firm Astaldi, before heading to Istanbul for a round-table forum on bilateral economic ties. Prodi afterward departed for Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin. On Türkiye's EU bid, Prodi said membership would be "an invaluable asset" once Ankara completed the required reforms.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski also arrived in Ankara, beginning his schedule with a visit to the Ataturk Mausoleum and formal talks with President Sezer at Cankaya Palace. He delivered medals to several Turkish academics and cultural figures and addressed a conference on solidarity in international policy.
On 24 January, Kaczynski traveled to Istanbul, where he met Erdogan, toured Sultanahmet Mosque and Hagia Sophia, and received a Foreign Statesman of the Year award.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in January 2007, in its own words.