Turkish president Abdullah Gul who is in a official visit to China, became the first Turkish president ever to visit the Xinjang Uygur Autonomous Region where more than 9 million Uygur Turks reside. Gul received an honorary doctorate from the Xinjang University. Gul said that the Uygurs form a “bridge of friendship” between the Turks and the Chinese.
Gul said that the Turks were living in this region before 1500 years and although they moved towards the West, their good relations still persist.
Source: Milliyet (Turkey), June 30, 2009
