Britain's Queen Elizabeth makes first visit to Turkey in 37 years

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II makes her first visit to Turkey in 37 years on Thursday - a trip designed to underscore her country's strong support for Turkish membership in the European Union. For four days the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, will see some of Turkey's most revered national monuments as well as religious and cultural traditions, highlighting Britain's good relations with the mostly Muslim nation. Britain has backed Turkey's bid to join the EU, and the queen will highlight that support, British Ambassador Nick Baird said. Turkey began EU membership talks in 2005, but progress has been slow over disagreements on divided Cyprus and opposition from some European countries. "It is obviously a difficult time," Baird said. "But the message is that we just have to stay resilient, we just have to keep going."