President Bola Tinubu arrived in Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, on Monday for a state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.

This was disclosed in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

The president’s aircraft touched down at the Ankara Esenboğa Airport at exactly 9:03 p.m. local time.

He was received by a Turkish government delegation led by the education minister, Yusuf Tekin.

Also present were the chargé d’affaires at the Nigerian embassy in Türkiye, Zayyad Abdulsalam, and other embassy officials.

At the president’s hotel, he was welcomed by the attorney general of the federation, Lateef Fagbemi.

Others at the hotel reception included the finance minister, Wale Edun, the solid minerals minister, Dele Alake, and the defence minister, Christopher Musa.

Also in attendance were the interior minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; women’s affairs minister, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim; and science and tech minister Kingsley Udeh.

The entourage included the deputy industry minister, John Enoh; the chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson; the special adviser on policy communication, Daniel Bwala; and the director-general of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.

The president’s visit is aimed at strengthening the cordial relations between Nigeria and Türkiye and exploring further areas of cooperation for mutual benefit.

During the visit, Mr Tinubu will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The visit will also include the signing of memoranda of understanding between the two countries, alongside other official engagements.

(NAN)