By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Turkiye, in Ankara on Tuesday, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to a $5 billion trade volume target with Nigeria.
He said discussions on the deal have already commenced.
President Erdogan stated this during a joint press briefing with President Bola Tinubu during the Nigerian President’s State Visit to Turkiye.
He said the establishment of the Joint Economy and Trade Committee between the two countries will create opportunities for expanding and supporting Turkish investments in Nigeria to meet the target.
President Erdogan praised the commitment, will and determination of President Tinubu in attracting investment to the country, describing the presence of several ministers and high-ranking officials as the clearest indication of this determination.
He said: “Today, we conducted a comprehensive review of our relations with the esteemed president and his delegation in the fields of trade, investments, energy, education and defence industry.
“Firstly, we see that we have significant potential in the fields of trade and investment. In today’s meetings, our commitment is to the $5 billion trade volume target, and we discussed the steps needed.
“We also discussed opportunities to support our investments in Nigeria. We believe that the Joint Economy and Trade Committee, which we agreed to establish today, will be instrumental in this regard.”
President Erdogan hailed the Nigerian President’s strides in the energy sector, which has resulted in the restructuring of the country’s economy.
He hoped that the cooperation between the Turkish Petroleum Corporation and its Nigerian counterparts, as well as with other organizations, would yield expected outcomes.
On the issue of terrorism in Nigeria and within the Sahel Region, President Erdogan promised to assist, given his country’s history in tackling insurgency.
“Terrorist organizations emerging, particularly in Africa’s Sahel region, unfortunately, pose a threat to the peace of the entire continent. We stand by the friendly people of Nigeria in their fight against terrorism under the leadership of President Tinubu.
“In fact, today, we addressed opportunities for closer cooperation in the fields of military training and intelligence. We stated that we are ready to share our country’s significant experience in combating terrorism.
“Also, I believe that we will soon see positive outcomes from the meetings that Nigerian officials will hold with our leading defence industry companies during this visit,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu expressed gratitude to the Republic of Turkiye for its openness and willingness to collaborate in promoting freedom, stability, and prosperity globally.
He emphasized the importance of creating an inclusive economy, particularly focusing on vulnerable people.
President Tinubu commended the Turkish leader for being “willing to collaborate, willing to help, willing to work together to promote freedom, stability and shared prosperity across the world.
“What is very important to the countries being discussed, trade, business, no restrictions, giving opportunity to those who are ready to learn to work and prosper. How do we build an inclusive economy together? How do we reform the economy to involve vulnerable people? How do we ensure peace in the world?” he asked.
President Tinubu stressed that Nigeria would continue to play a major role in promoting peace and stability in Africa despite the instability across the country.
“We discussed efforts against terrorism. We discussed how to defeat agents of destabilization.”
President Tinubu also praised President Erdogan for his commitment to promoting global peace, particularly his efforts in Somalia.
At the end of the bilateral meeting between the officials of the two countries, nine agreements were exchanged.
They were: Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Diaspora Policy, Agreement on Defence Cooperation, Joint Declaration Establishing the Economy and Trade Joint Committee, and Agreement in the Field of Halal Quality Infrastructure.
Others included Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education, Cooperation in the Field of Media and Communication, Cooperation in the Field of Education, Cooperation Between the Republic of Türkiye, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Diplomacy Academy, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Affairs Academy; and Cooperation Between the Republic of Turkiye, Ministry of Social Services and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ministry of women Affairs and Social Development.
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