Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria Mehmet Poroy says his country is working to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with Nigeria to fight terrorism and stabilise the ECOWAS sub-region.
Mr Poroy said this during a courtesy call on the managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ali Muhammad Ali, in Abuja on Tuesday.
The ambassador, while describing Nigeria as Türkiye’s strategic partner, said Nigeria’s success in its fight against terrorism was crucial to the stability of all West African nations.
Mr Poroy said Türkiye had signed a military cooperation agreement with Nigeria to fight terrorism in the country and would further strengthen defence industry cooperation between the two countries.
“We will see the possibilities of local production here in Nigeria for some products. We will increase our military cooperation in terms of training, advice, and other things and trade.
“You know, Türkiye has also suffered much. We have a hard-earned experience on that issue (terrorism), and we are ready to share it with Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, the recent state visit of President Bola Tinubu to Türkiye has improved bilateral relations between the two countries and also reinforced the shared commitment to fight terrorism.
Mr Poroy said the president’s entourage met with their Turkish counterparts and agreed to deepen relations across various fields, thereby ushering in a new era of bilateral ties.
According to him, the most important of the nine agreements signed during the president’s visit was Türkiye’s pledged assistance and support to Nigeria in its fight against terrorism.
The ambassador said Türkiye also has a strong legal and political basis with the nine agreements and memorandum of understanding signed during the president’s visit.
“Türkiye’s relations with Africa have evolved over the past years. In 2008, we became a strategic partner of the African Union.
“So it shows the importance that Türkiye attaches to its relations with all African countries, and we see Nigeria as a strategic partner,” he added.
Responding, Mr Ali thanked the ambassador for choosing to visit NAN, lauding him for the immediate impact he had made during his assignment, which culminated in the recent visit of Mr Tinubu to Türkiye.
Mr Ali noted that Türkiye had gradually assumed the status of a global power in its own right, militarily and economically, adding that its economy was among the top 20 globally.
He added that, given the security challenges Nigeria is currently facing, Türkiye’s support through military cooperation would further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
(NAN)