US president Barack Obama has arrived in Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city, on the second leg of his first trip to a mainly Muslim country.
Obama landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport at 7pm on Monday aboard Air Force One after talks in the capital, Ankara, with Turkish leaders and a major speech at the parliament. In Istanbul, Obama is expected to attend a reception at the Dolmabahçe Palace, hosted by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for leaders attending a UN-backed international forum on bridging divisions between the Islamic world and the West. Obama was transported via limo to the W Hotel Istanbul, where he is expected to stay during his visit in Istanbul.
On Tuesday, Obama will meet the U.S. mission working at the U.S. Consulate-General in İstanbul and their families. He will also hold talks with religious leaders, hold a round-table meeting with university students and visit two Istanbul landmarks, the Hagia Sophia church and the Sultan Ahmed (Blue Mosque), before leaving Turkey.
Turkey is the last stop of Obama’s maiden tour of Europe that has also included Britain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic.
During his visit 8,800 police will be on continuous duty for two days, surrounded by members of the CIA. Cellular phones will not be functioning in areas where Obama is anticipated to pass through due to the operation of ‘jammers’ used in the convoys. Throughout Obama’s route, gas stations will be prohibited from selling gas by the barrel. All hospitals on Obama’s route have been put on alert.
Obama’s schedule in Istanbul is as follow
* 2:50 am President Obama meets with religious leaders at the Conrad Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey
* 4:10 am President Obama and Prime Minister Erdogan tour the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey
* 4:40 am President Obama and Prime Minister Erdogan tour the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
* 5:20 am President Obama holds a student town hall at the Tophane Cultural Center in Istanbul, Turkey
* 7:30 am President Obama departs Istanbul back to the US
Obama Istanbul pictures
President Obama held a town hall with Turkish students discussing the U.S. relationship with the Islamic ally.
Obama Town Hall Meeting In Turkey (part 1)
Obama Town Hall Meeting In Turkey (part 2)
