Turkey's first lady joins spouses of G20 leaders

By Yildiz Nevin Gundogmus

OSAKA, Japan (AA) - Turkey's First Lady Emine Erdogan on Friday joined the spouses of G20 summit leaders in the Japanese port city of Osaka.

While the leaders of 19 countries and the European Union (EU) met for the summit, Japanese First Lady Akie Abe hosted their wives and partners for an official spousal program.

The spouses of the presidents of Argentina, Canada, Spain, Australia, South Korea, France, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Chile and some international institutions also attended the program.

After greeting them with a traditional Japanese tea ceremony in the Zen Garden of Osaka, Abe invited her guests to feed fish in a pond.

The leaders' spouses later visited Kyoto's famous Tofuku-ji Temple where they were welcomed by a Buddhist monk and a tsuzumi [hand-drum] performance.

Following a group photo at the steps of the temple, they gathered for a lunch.

"I came together with the spouses of the heads of states as part of an official spousal program organized by Japanese First Lady Abe Akie on the sidelines of G20 Leaders' Summit. I was pleased to visit one of the country's oldest temples on this occasion," Erdogan tweeted.