Busy day in Istanbul for Turkish politicians

ISTANBUL

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, yesterday hosted the Chief of General Staff Necdet Özel in his working office in Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace.

The weekly meeting between Erdoğan and Özel, which was expected to begin at 11:00, was delayed by 40 minutes. After a two hour long meeting, Özel left the office.

Erdoğan then met with visiting Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba. The meeting was closed to the press and lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes. Education Minister Ömer Dinçer, Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz, and Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy chairman Ömer Çelik was present in the meeting.
It was expected that Erdoğan would meet President Abdullah Gül in Tarabya after both attending the 2011-2012 graduation ceremony of the War Colleges Command with Abdulah Gül at 17:30.