Buhari goes to Turkey

President Muhammadu Buhari will depart for Istanbul, Turkey, tomorrow, to participate in the ninth Summit of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8) which starts on Friday. Members of D-8 are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. The objectives of D-8 are to improve member states’ position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at international level, and improve standards of living. D-8 is a global arrangement rather than a regional one, as the composition of its members reflects. Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) is a forum with no adverse impact on bilateral and multilateral commitments of the member countries, emanating from their membership to other international or regional organisations.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made this known to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday. According to Adesina, prior to the D-8 Summit, President Buhari, at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, will participate in an official working visit to Ankara, the Turkish capital. While in Ankara, Adesina said, the President would have a discussion with his Turkish counterpart while delegations from both countries would hold discussions in various fields including defence cooperation, security, educational and migration issues.

“The Nigerian leader will also visit the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey in Ankara where he will meet with the Speaker, Ismail Kahraman,” Adesina said.

President Buhari will use the occasion of the D-8 Summit to bolster warm and growing ties across a broad range of areas of cooperation with leaders of the D8-member countries. The D8-member countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey. The Summit with the theme, “Expanding Opportunities through Cooperation”, will among other things, focus on cooperation in the areas of agriculture, trade, transport, energy and increased private sector participation among member-countries.

During the Summit, which will also mark the 20th anniversary of the organisation established to improve the developing countries’ positions in the world economy, Buhari will highlight the significant show of confidence in Nigeria’s business environment and economy, and he will also affirm Nigeria’s resolve to work with D-8 member-countries on many key areas, including peace and security, economy and trade.

At the end of the Summit, the Heads of State and Government will adopt a Communiqué, also known as the ‘Istanbul Declaration’. It stated that President Buhari will be accompanied on the trip by ministers, and top government officials, including the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali.