Ankara: With terrorism and the volatile situation in neighbouring Iraq high on his agenda, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee arrived in Ankara on September 16 to a red carpet welcome on a three-day visit to Turkey, the first by the head of an Indian government in 15 years.

Vajpayee, leading a high-level delegation, will hold wide-ranging parleys with Turkish President Ahmet Nacdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on issues of mutual concern including US draft resolution for a multilateral force in Iraq and West Asia crisis.

The tone for the visit was set with Vajpayee telling reporters in Delhi before emplaning that political and economic factors encouraged an expansion of Indo-Turkish cooperation.

"Our relations with Turkey are as old as its great civilization. We are now witnessing a new commitment and surge to our cooperation....We share common values on secularism and democracy," he said.

Describing Turkey as an important country straddling Europe and Asia, he said, "I look forward to exchanging views on international and regional issues with Turkish Prime Minister and other leaders."

Vajpayee, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Turkey since Rajiv Gandhi's trip in 1988, said bilateral exchanges have intensified and trade increased significantly.

PTI