Tim Cook to visit Turkish president this week, may discuss $4B iPad deal

Apple VP John Couch (right) discusses the FATIH education initiative with Turkish President Abdullah GÃ¼l (left).Source: President of Turkey's official website

Apple CEO Tim Cook will meet with Turkish President President Abdullah GÃ¼l on Tuesday local time, with rumors claiming the topic of discussion will be a potential iPad in education deal worth somewhere between $3 billion and $4 billion.

Continuing a mini world tour that has seen meetings with two heads of state in as many days, Cook and an accompanying delegation will next visit Turkish President Abdullah GÃ¼l on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The announcement was made on Monday via the president's official webpage.

While topics up for discussion remain unknown, some believe Cook and GÃ¼l will talk about Turkey's "FATIH Project," which looks to replace traditional classroom teaching tools with advanced equipment like Apple's iPad. A report from December claimed the two would meet in February.

Cook's meeting comes almost one year to the day after Apple's VP of Education John Couch met with GÃ¼l to discuss the country's education program. That meeting was followed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters to get a better understanding of the company's iPad in education technology before putting out a call for bids for his FATIH Project.

According to reports, the initial phase of the high-tech education initiative includes the purchase of 10.6 million tablets, with an add-on option to acquire another 2 to 2.5 million units over a four-year period. Total cost of the plan comes in at between $2 billion and $4 billion.

Cook's visit coincides with the opening of Turkey's first Apple Store, a 21,500-square-foot outlet located in Instanbul's Zorlu Center. Apple is growing its presence in the region and in October opened the doors to its Online Apple Store.