Turk high court chair pays courtesy visit to president

"I am not naturally a stressful person. This was just a courtesy visit. According to the customs of the Council of State, the chairman of the council pays a visit to the president following the internal presidential elections. I requested a visit in line with the Council's protocols. Then Mr. President sent me his invitation," Birden told reporters following the meeting.

The court chairman and the president were expected to talk about the recent conflict between the AKP government and the high judiciary during the one-hour meeting which was closed to the press.

Birden was elected last week as the new president of the top administrative court of Turkey, the Council of State.

Turkey's Supreme Court has accused the government of creating a "judiciary controlled by an executive body". The ruling AKP slammed the statement saying the high courts had compromised their neutrality and independence with political statements. The exchange of harsh statements signaled a new phase in the conflict between the AKP government, who is under pressure from the closure case, and the judiciary.

Gul stepped in last week to resolve the conflict between the government and the high judiciary, and urged, in a written statement, all parties to be careful to avoid such debates that harm stability following the nationalist MHP's call on the president to step in to resolve the conflict.

Gul also met the chairman of the Supreme Court, Hasan Gerceker regarding the issue last week.