Visit to Africa on Cooperation and Partnership Policies
At the press conference held immediately after the meeting, Minister Fidan stated that partnership policies with Africa were becoming increasingly stronger and more institutional. He emphasized the importance of the highly productive meetings held with African countries.
Strong Relations with African Countries
Minister Fidan stated that relations with African countries are progressing by focusing on different areas. Stating that Turkey has embassies in 44 of the 54 African countries, Fidan said that historical relations with Niger date back to the Ottoman period.
Counter-Terrorism and Cooperation
Minister Fidan stated that they aimed to increase cooperation with African countries in the fight against terrorism. He emphasized that Turkey was following a policy of sharing its experiences in the fight against terrorism with its friends. He stated that the instability in the Sahel region was caused by terrorism and that they were discussing the steps to be taken in this regard.
Areas of Cooperation
Fidan stated that they discussed many issues such as the fight against terrorism, education, energy, health, trade, security and defense during their visit to Niger, and that they agreed to take joint steps. He also announced that they decided to develop cooperation in areas such as education, health, economy, energy and mining.
Results of the Visit
Minister Fidan stated that they will systematically implement the decisions taken as a result of the Niger visit, and that they discussed issues such as the increase in Turkish investors, contracting services and the development of trade. He stated that they also decided to increase cooperation in the field of energy and mining.
Minister Fidan wished the visit to yield positive results for both countries and stated that the decisions taken would be followed up and implemented.