Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Hidayet Bayraktar, has pledged to deepen collaboration between his country and Nigeria to combat the menace of terrorism, which Nigeria is currently facing.
The envoy made this known at a dinner in Abuja on Tuesday, held to celebrate Turkey’s 101 years of becoming a republic.
According to him, Turkey will support Nigeria in the fight against terrorism by taking the necessary steps against the strong presence of terrorist groups in the country.
“We are ready to undertake the necessary responsibility to contribute to the efforts to tackle them.
“We are ready to accelerate the defence industry cooperation between our countries as a reflection of our will to combat terrorism together.
“The delivery of Turkey’s T129 attack helicopters and Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles are indicators of the spirit of cooperation on the security domain between the both countries,” he said.
Bayraktar noted that both countries had suffered from the scourge of terrorism and needed to chat a common course toward collectively curbing the scourge of terrorism.
He said that the challenges of terrorism and organised crime, which Nigeria and its immediate region were currently facing, are not just local problems of the region, but of serious international concern.
“We expect the friendly and brotherly Nigerian government to take our legitimate security concerns more seriously.
“It entails taking the necessary steps against the strong presence of the members of heinous terrorist groups in Nigeria,” he said.
Bayraktar said, apart from the need for mutual cooperation to tackle the terrorism and other forms of organised crime challenges, Turkey would also strengthen bilateral cooperation with Nigeria in other areas.
He listed them to include climate change, economic, commerce, trade, cultural, energy, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and educational ties, among others.
According to him, trade ties between Nigeria and Turkey is promising, with an outstanding increase in trade volume in the last 20 years.
Bayraktar said that countless opportunities were waiting for both countries to discover and leverage on, especially given their bilateral trade goal of five billion dollars.
“We cannot content ourselves with the current numbers. Turkish investors show a growing interest in Nigeria.
“More than fifty Turkish companies are operating in this beautiful country, providing jobs and contributing to the economy.
“Turkish Airlines flies to Abuja and Lagos nine times a week in total.
“We attach utmost importance to the cultural and educational dimensions of our relations, among others,’’ the envoy said.
Bayraktar said that, overall, his country’s relations with Nigeria had developed on the basis of mutual friendship and understanding.
He recalled that diplomatic ties between the two countries were established since 1960, with reciprocal high-level visits over the years providing the opportunity for strengthening the bilateral ties.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, which featured some Nigerian cultural troope performances, was attended by prominent Nigerians and members of the diplomatic community. (NAN)
