President Mahinda Rajapaksa who had a busy schedule at Ankara yesterday (Tuesday 02) left for the other important Turkish city, Istanbul, today.

An important item on this second leg of President Rajapaksa’s historic visit to Turkey, the first by a Sri Lankan Head of State, will be a visit to the RMK Shipyard.

This visit is expected to lead to Turkish training and other assistance to ship building activities in Sri Lanka. One of the areas that featured prominently in yesterday’s wide-ranging bi-lateral talks between the Sri Lankan and Turkish Presidents was the improvement of maritime activities between the two countries.

The Sri Lankan President and Madam Shiranthi Rajapaksa and members of the Sri Lankan delegation were hosted to dinner by the President and Mrs. Gul at the Presidential Palace in Ankara last evening.

This morning the President Rajapaksa was seen off on the flight to Istanbul at the Ankara Esenboga Airport by the Prof. Dr. Mehmet Aydin, Minister of State and the Minister in Attendance, the Governor of Ankara, the Garrison Commander of Ankara and the Mayor of Ankara.