Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to meet Pope Benedict XVI tomorrow during the Pontiff's visit to Ankara.
Mr Erdogan had previously been accused of snubbing the Pontiff.
Many Turks, like much of the Muslim world, expressed anger in September after the Pope made comments taken as indicating he believed Islam was violent and irrational.
Mr Erdogan, a devout Muslim, was accused of seeking short-term political gains by not meeting Pope Benedict.
He has rejected those accusations, saying he was busy attending a NATO summit in Riga and later with other domestic appointments.
A Turkish government spokesperson said Mr Erdogan would now meet the Pope and that 'an adjustment' had been made to his plans.
He will meet the Pope at Ankara's airport before he takes off for Riga.
The Pontiff’s visit is billed as an opportunity to heal the wounds between Muslims and Christians and also to show Europeans sceptical of Turkey that the country is an open and democratic society worthy of the EU membership it seeks.
The Pope’s itinerary also includes a visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque, meeting the country's small Catholic community, as well as Orthodox Christians and Muslim clerics.
