Politics May. 25, 2008 - 05:46PM JST ( 2 )

ANKARA —

Turkish President Abdullah Gul will pay a five-day official visit to Japan in early June, the first ever by a Turkish head of state, his office said Sunday. Gul, accompanied by several ministers and a large delegation of businessmen, will meet Emperor Akihito, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and lower house Speaker Yohei Kono during the June 3-8 visit.

He will also attend economic forums in Tokyo and Osaka before heading home.

Gul’s visit will allow for discussions on the “many opportunities to develop and diversify trade relations and investment between Turkey and Japan,” the Turkish statement said.

Trade volume between the two countries stood at $3.9 billion in 2007, according to official statistics. Of that amount, $3.7 billion were Japanese exports to Turkey.

Japan is also the funder of several infrastructure projects in Turkey, among them the Bosphorus Rail Tube Crossing Project, a 13.3-kilometer metro tunnel, part of which will be underwater.

Wire reports