09 January 2004	Friday	16 Ziqa'ad 1424

ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: President General Pervez Musharraf will be leaving for Turkey on January 20 for a two-day official visit for wide-ranging talks with the top Turkish leadership to further consolidate bilateral relations, official sources told on Thursday.

Later, President Musharraf would later visit Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, a foreign ministry source said, adding that he would also address the forum.

During his visit to Ankara, President Musharraf would hold talks with Turkish President Ahmed Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Musharraf and President Ahmed Necdet Sezer last met in October 2003 on the sidelines of the OIC Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This would be President Musharraf's fourth visit to Turkey since November 1999. President Musharraf last visited Turkey in October 2002 to attend the Economic Cooperation Organization Summit.

In June last year Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Pakistan, leading a more than 200-member strong entourage, comprising cabinet members, parliamentarians and major Turkish businessmen.

Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, Privatization Minister Hafeez Sheikh and foreign secretary Riaz Khokhar will be among those who will accompany President Musharraf to Ankara and Geneva.