By Grace Cofie
Nigeria and Turkey signed eight major Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and Agreements, which included key sectors in Energy, Industry, Defense, Mining and Hydrocarbons.
President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed this at a joint press conference on the event of the official visit of Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to Nigeria.
The presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, quoted the president saying, “As a positive outcome, eight major Agreements/MoUs on a number of key sectors including Defense, Energy. Industry, Mining and Hydrocarbons among others were signed today. We have agreed that implementation is to commence immediately.”
The president stated that Turkish President Erdogan’s meeting with a joint session of the Nigeria and Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry, before departing Nigeria would be another opportunity to exchange views on more sustainable and productive ways of pushing ahead the socio-economic ties between the two countries.
President Buhari further praised President Erdogan for opening his country’s borders to accommodate refugges in need of humanitarian support.
“I commend your Excellency for your leadership and generosity in receiving and accommodating 4 million refugees fleeing from conflict areas particularly in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. You have indeed set an example to the rest of the world.” President Buhari said.
Buhari expressed his gratitude to the the Turkish President and his first lady who commissioned the Turkish Cultural Center in Abuja and opened the newly renovated Government Secondary School in Wuse, Abuja, which was undertaken by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIIKA).
President Erdogan, in his reaction to President Buhari’s remarks, emphasized that Turkey is determined to improve relations with Nigeria to “higher levels on all fields.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Erdogan said, “Trade volume between our countries reached 2 billon dollars in 2020, making Nigeria the biggest and outstanding trading partner in sub-saharan Africa.”
“However, we still believe that this level of trade we have achieved is far from being adequate. We hope and pray that we will be expanding our trade volume up to 5 billion dollars immediately. We hope that the relations between the two nations will be further developed on the basis of a win-win scenario and mutual respect.”
