Turkish President Erdogan accorded ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived in India on a two-day visit, was granted a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan ahead of his delegation level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

Erdogan then proceeded to lay a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi at Raj Ghat.

A number of agreements are expected to be signed in several areas after the talks. The Turkish President is accompanied by senior cabinet ministers and a 150-member business delegation that will take part in a meeting of the India-Turkey Business Forum.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on the Turkish President.

Key bilateral and regional issues, including India's NSG membership bid and ways to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism and trade are expected to be discussed during his visit. India-Turkey economic and commercial cooperation constitutes an important dimension of the bilateral relationship.

Trade has increased significantly in the preceding decade and a half. Bilateral relations have been strengthened by the exchange of high level visits of leaders of both countries in recent times. These include visits by President Pranab Mukherjee to Turkey in 2013 and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's working visit in 2015.

This is Erdogan's first foreign visit after winning a referendum in his country earlier this month which gave him more executive powers as President.

Ahead of his visit, Erdogan expressed his desire for constructive dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad in order to find a solution to the burning conflict over Jammu and Kashmir.