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Turkish president cancels Sweden visit

Published: 28 Aug 12 11:02 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/42866/20120828/

Turkish President Abdullah Gül has cancelled a planned visit to Sweden on health grounds following his hospitalization for an ear infection, Sweden said on Tuesday.

"The state visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gül... which was due to take place in Sweden from September 10 to 12, was cancelled because of the president's health problems," the Swedish foreign ministry said in a statement.

Discussions were under way to set a new date for the visit, a spokesman told AFP.

Gül was hospitalized with an ear infection on Friday, the day after he cut short a trip to Kyrgyzstan for health reasons.

Gül has previously been treated for the same condition and had to cut short or postpone foreign trips because flying can cause problems for weak eardrums.

The Turkish president was to be accompanied on his visit to Sweden by Prime Minister Ali Babacan and Turkey's EU Minister Egemen Bagis, as well as by a number of members of parliament and other officials.

In addition, more than 100 Turkish entrepreneurs were scheduled to take part in the visit in seminars aimed at fostering ties with the Swedish business community.

Gül's itinerary was to include talks with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt as well as a visit to Uppsala University.

AFP/The Local
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14:25 August 28, 2012 by whoye
this douchebag married his wife when she was 13 years old; both ethically and legally this guy is a pedophile. what on earth could Swedish government or society might benefit from this trip?
15:18 August 28, 2012 by Åskar
She was 15. Check the facts before you start spewing hatred.
16:16 August 28, 2012 by orangetree
@Åskar; They engaged when she was 13 and her parents stopped her education. During that time Abdullah Gul was a lecturer in Sakarya Unv.15 years of age diff and engagement with a 13 year old girl!!! They married 3 days later after her 15th birthday because it is the min age rq for marriage.

For even Turkish standarts, this is sick!!
19:42 August 28, 2012 by whoye
was it 15? ohh that's a big relief
20:05 August 28, 2012 by Rod Munch
15?? I know that it's really common in the Muslim world for middle-aged men to marry teenagers (disgusting) but I didn't know that even distinguished politicians in a so-called "progressive Muslim-country" were partaking in this. What a sick, chauvinistic culture. Ugh...
20:44 August 28, 2012 by icedearth
She is 15? She is 13? So what? They are still happily married. I prefer this , than someone knocking up my teen daughter and dumping her afterwards like it usually happens here. Why are you attacking the person? I think this visit is good for the two countries. They are both economic giants and they can collaborate on many levels.
21:52 August 28, 2012 by whoye
@icedearth

so having sex with only 1 partner in your entire life (as a woman) is formula of happiness?

although humanity discovered a farming for 10.000 years now and industrialization for more than 200 year, has a EQ much more than any other living specie, went to the cosmos, thought of extremely abstract concepts as philosophy; and yet still a very vast majority see a brute force as a sign of dominance, a "complex multi-million societies" still function on the basis of muscle power. there is a change for surely, but it's so slow that makes you think of "human sophistication" is just another empty, self-pretentious concept that is tossed around.
08:50 August 29, 2012 by orangetree
@icedearth marriage should among two adults. non a child with a man or not a dolphin with a woman.. two equal grown ups..Considering someone as a wife/husband when you are 28 and she is 13 ..?!??

If a 28y old knocks up your teen daughter,pls call police..
08:18 September 3, 2012 by manamind
They may have been married when she was 15 but the age of consent is 18 in Turkey, which is one of the highest in Europe as compared to Spain which is 13.

Regarding age of marraige, In Sweden there is no law stipluating the lowest age someone can marry and 15 years has been allowed upon permission, the policy in Sweden is to refuse permission to anyone below 15.

So I think the Pedophile insult is just an example of anti-Turk racism. And now they've been married for over 30 years with 3 children anyhow. Res ipsa loquitor.....
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