Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko was welcomed to Ankara with cannon fire and a military band Tuesday as he began a three-day visit to Turkey to boost political and economic ties between the two Black Sea countries. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Yushchenko briefly on Monday night. Yushchenko is scheduled to meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and speaker of the parliament Bulent Arinc later on Tuesday. At the top of the agenda are energy ties, joint investment projects, communications, Black Sea fishing rights and nuclear cooperation. Turkey is Ukraine's fifth-largest trading partner and third largest export market. The two countries have trade ties of around U$2 billion. Yushchenko, who came to power in a pro-western "Orange Revolution" in December, has vowed to lead Ukraine in a more free market direction. The Ukrainian president will travel to Istanbul to meet with Turkish businessmen on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.
