President Abdullah Gül was welcomed with great enthusiasm of citizens upon his arrival in the province of Uşak.Welcomed by Governor Mehmet Ufuk Erden, MPs, Mayor Ali Erdoğan and other officials in front of the Governorate, the President, enjoying great interest of the citizens, offered his thanks to them for their enthusiasm. He further expressed his pride in the fact that he is the first President to visit Uşak in years and said he is happy to observe a great development in the city as he did in Afyonkarahisar.
Afterwards, the President proceeded to the Municipality, where he was welcomed with flowers hurled from its balcony. He made a short speech to the citizens waiting for him at the square, saying that it is their priority to make all the citizens happy.
The President later walked to Ulucami where he performed the Friday Prayer with citizens. He afterwards had lunch with families of martyrs, businessmen, war veterans and representatives of NGOs. Declaring the families of martyrs and war veterans to be the most treasured citizens of all, President Gül said they should hold them in high esteem. The President further shared his happiness to observe the infrastructural development in the city and suggested that they all make efforts for the whole of the country.
President Abdullah Gül, as part of his program in the city, visited Uşak Municipality Caring and Rehabilitation Center for Horses, and watched a cirit (javelin) performance by female and male riders. There are 40 cirit clubs and some 1, 000 horses raised for this sport in Uşak, which boasts having the first and only cirit club for women in the country.
President Gül afterwards visited the Garrison Command and Uşak University, where Rector Prof. Dr. Sait Çelik told him that students had planted 1,200 pine saplings in memory of the President’s visit.
Completing his program in Uşak, President Gül left for Istanbul.