Buhari leaves for Turkey for D-8 summit, state visit

President Muhammadu Buhari is to depart for Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday to participate in the ninth D-8 Summit slated for Oct. 20.

This is contained in a statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Adesina said prior to the Summit, Buhari, at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, would be on working visit to Ankara, the capital city.

He said the President would during the visit have a tete-a-tete 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 Buhari would also use the occasion of the summit to bolster warm and growing ties across 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, Buhari would highlight the significant show of confidence in Nigeria’s business environment and economy.

He said the president would 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.”

The president will be accompanied by ministers, top government officials, including the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali.