President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has alerted his Nigerian counterpart, President Muhammadu Buhari of the existence of terrorists from his country.
According to him, members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) that attempted to take cover power from him on July 15, 2016 through a failed coup are currently in Nigeria.
Erdogan made these known yesterday, October 20 at a joint press conference with President Buhari in Abuja, Nigeria.The Turkish leader was on a two-day working visit to Nigeria.
He told Buhari: “Turkey has been fighting against terrorist organisations for many decades, such as the PKK, PYD, FETO, DASH and other terrorist organisations.
“The perpetrator of the heinous failed coup of July the 15th, FETO, is still illegally active in Nigeria, and we are continuously sharing our intelligence with the Nigerian interlocutors and authorities.
“I hope and pray that our Nigerian brothers will forge a closer solidarity in this field with us, the Republic of Turkey.”
He sought the collaboration of the Nigerian government to overcome extremism and terrorism that has become a global phenomenon.
The Turkish President commended President Buhari for hosting him and his delegation.
“The most auspicious results and I would like to thank my distinguished brother, President Buhari, for being such a gracious host for me and for my delegation.”
Meanwhile President Buhari praised President Erdogan for opening his country’s borders to accommodate millions of refugees in dire need of humanitarian support.
President Buhari said at the joint press conference that his Turkish counterpart has set an example to the rest of the world on how to treat refugees.
‘‘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 described the two-day visit of President Erdogan and the First Lady, Emine Erdogan, as a reflection of the ‘‘robust, warm and cordial bilateral relation’’ between Nigeria and Turkey.
He said that it was the second time he has had ‘‘the pleasure of receiving my Brother in Abuja.’’
On the accomplishments from the visit, President Buhari said: “during the visit, we held very useful discussions on a number of bilateral issues, aimed at strengthening this cordial relationship between Nigeria and Turkey.
‘‘The key issues we touched on included a Series of Bilateral Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding that had been finalised.
‘‘As a positive outcome, eight major Agreements/MoUs on a number of the key sectors including Energy, Defense Industry, Mining and HydroCarbons among others were signed today. We have agreed that implementation is to commence immediately.
‘‘In the course of our discussions, we also reviewed the travel ban list based on the revised COVID-19 protocols and removed Turkey from Nigeria’s Travel Ban List. Turkey has indeed achieved remarkable success in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.’’
President Buhari said 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 engage and exchange views on more productive ways of pushing ahead the socio-economic ties between the two countries.
He thanked the Turkish President and the First Lady for commissioning the Turkish Cultural Centre in Abuja as well as opening the newly renovated Government Secondary School in Wuse, Abuja, undertaken by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIIKA).
Turkish President, sympathised with Nigeria on the attack in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, which claimed several lives, the Turkish leader pledged that his country would further cooperate with Nigeria on counter-terrorism as well as in the fields of military, defence and security.
‘‘We are ready to share our ever expanding capabilities with Nigeria especially in the field of defence industry and security, which has been praised by the entire globe.
‘‘This sensitivity that we have showcased in fighting terrorism, I hope will be reciprocated by our Nigerian brothers, sisters and counterparts,’’ he said.
The Turkish President announced that his country has increased its diplomatic presence in Africa to 43 missions, adding that the third round of the Turkish-African business forum will be held in Istanbul this October while the third Turkish-African partnership summit will follow in December.
President Erdogan expressed delight that many Nigerian students are currently studying in Turkey and benefiting from scholarships.
