Turkish ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, says President Bola Tinubu’s recent state visit to Ankara, the Turkish capital, from January 27 to 28, was a milestone in Nigeria-Türkiye relations.

Mr Poroy stated this in an interview in Abuja. He said the visit marked a new era in deepening bilateral relations and demonstrated the strong will of both countries to further advance relations across different fields.

Mr Poroy said the visit also marked the first bilateral presidential visit from Nigeria to Türkiye in the last nine years, and the first since Türkiye’s President Recep Erdoğan visited Nigeria in 2021.

“It is very important as it constitutes President Tinubu’s first visit to our country.

“During the visit, nine agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed in areas of security, education, trade, media, halal accreditation, population and diaspora policies.

“It was also confirmed in the meetings that both sides share a common desire to implement them swiftly and effectively in a manner that benefits both parties,” he said.

The ambassador disclosed that during the meetings, held under the chairmanship of the two presidents, the ways to further deepen close cooperation across different areas were discussed.

He added that cooperation in the fields of security and counterterrorism was given particular emphasis.

The envoy said Türkiye’s readiness to provide all necessary support to Nigeria in its fight against terrorism was also expressed at the highest level.

“It can be said that we have entered into a new period of closer cooperation in the field of military collaboration, as relevant ministers discussed concrete steps that could be taken together in this field.

“We foresee that our productive cooperation in the field of defence industry will continue to grow, through joint local production facilities, in addition to the supply of critical defence systems,” he said.

The envoy said that, in the commercial sphere, a bilateral trade volume target of $5 billion, initially set during Mr Erdoğan’s 2021 visit to Nigeria, was reaffirmed.

He said that the details of what needed to be done to reach the trade volume target were also discussed.

“The most important development in this regard was the signing of the Joint Declaration establishing the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). Once this Committee becomes operational, obstacles hindering the advancement of our trade and mutual investments will be addressed institutionally, and effective solutions will be produced,” he said.

He said that three separate agreements in the field of education were also signed during the visit, indicating the desire to intensify cooperation in education, going forward.

“We consider the approximately 3,500 Nigerian students studying in our country as an important factor that strengthens our bonds of friendship,” he said.

Mr Poroy also highlighted the agreement signed between the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Diplomacy Academy and the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Foreign Service Academy.

According to him, this development will make it easier for young diplomats from Nigeria to participate in training programmes in Türkiye, and vice versa.

“It was also agreed that information and experience would be exchanged, and cooperation enhanced in the field of diaspora between our countries, both of which have sizeable diaspora populations.

“Therefore, these agreements can also be seen as important investments in the future of our diplomatic relations,” he added.

(NAN)