India, Turkey to counter terror, expand economic ties

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including counter-terrorism, trade and investment and energy security.

They also discussed regional stability and the volatile situation in Afghanistan that poses a threat to the entire region.

Earlier in the day, Gul was accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Pratibha Patil and Manmohan Singh were present on the occasion along with other dignitaries.

"My expectation from this visit is to have Turkey and India discover each other. In fact, the process has already started and we have to speed it up," Gul told reporters.

"Turkey and India have many similarities, both countries are secular and we have free market economy and our economies are booming," he said.

Gul arrived in India Sunday on a five-day state visit. He will go to Agra Wednesday and visit Mumbai Thursday.

Turkey, considered close to Pakistan, is looking at India afresh as a rising economy and a knowledge power.

In a lecture Monday, Gul had described India as a major economic, intellectual and scientific force and expressed his country's keenness to build closer economic and energy ties with India.