Gül postpones all foreign trips for two months over health reasons

Abdullah Gül was hospitalized on Aug. 23. Due to his recurring ear problem, the president cut short a visit to Kyrgyzstan for the Second Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS) in Bishkek, a visit he had begun last Wednesday.

Gül's doctors said in a statement that his situation was improving and that he can slowly resume his daily activities. The president was discharged on Monday afternoon to meet with Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel but he returned to Ankara's Hacettepe University Hospital later that day to continue his medical treatment.

Erdoğan paid a visit on Monday to Gül at the hospital and was accompanied by Health Minister Recep Akdağ during the visit. The visit lasted for about an hour.

Gül, who underwent ear surgery in 2006 at the Gülhane Military Academy of Medicine (GATA) in Ankara during his term as foreign minister, was reportedly advised not to fly too often to avoid a recurrence of the problem. In June, the president's trips to Latvia and Lithuania had to be cancelled. Gül was also expected to travel to Sweden on Sept. 9-12.

The Turkish president had postponed trips to Israel, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Italy and Kazakhstan since 2008 due to the recurring ear infection.