PICTURES OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S TRIP TO TURKEY, APRIL 4, 2009
PRESIDENT OBAMA CHOSE TURKEY FOR HIS FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP OUTSIDE THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT. AFTER A BRIEF STOP OVER IN BRUSSELS FOR THE NATO SUMMIT, HE VISITED ANKARA AND ISTANBUL. IN ANKARA HE VISITED ATATÜRK'S MOSELEUM "ANIT KABIR" , MET WITH PRESIDENT GÜL, PRIME MINISTER ERDOĞAN, OPPOSITION LEADERS AND ALSO GAVE A SPEECH IN THE TURKISH PARLIAMENT. IN ISTANBUL HE MET WITH THE LEADERS OF ALL THREE MAJOR RELIGIONS. VISITED THE FAMOUS 15OO YEAR OLD BYZANTIAN CHURCH, (NOW A MOSQUE): HAGHIA SOPHIA AND ONE OF ISTANBUL'S MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: THE BLUE MOSQUE. HE ENDED THE TWO DAY TRIP AGAIN IN A VERY HISTORICAL SETTING, ADDRESSING YOUNG TURKISH STUDENTS AND ANSWERING THEIR QUESTIONS. THE PICTURES I HAVE SELECTED ARE ALL COURTESY OF DHA, THE MAJOR TURKISH NEWS ORGANIZATION. I HOPE THIS BRIEF SYPNOSIS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SELECTED PICTURES OF HIS TRIP WILL BE OF INTEREST ESPECIALLY TO OUR AMERICAN FRIENDS WHO HAVE NOT FOLLOWED HIS TRIP IN THE NEWS.
