President Buhari departs to Turkey for D-8 Summit

President Muhammadu Buhari will leave for Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday to participate in the ninth D-8 Summit scheduled for Oct. 20.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in Abuja disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

Adesina said prior to the Summit, President Buhari, at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, would be on working visit to Ankara, the capital city, adding that during the visit Buhari would have a one on one conversation with his Turkish counterpart.

Read also: Nigerian Army ends Operation Python Dance in South-East

He said delegations from both countries would hold discussions on various fields including defence cooperation, security, educational and migration issues.

According to him, the Summit is tagged, ‘‘Expanding Opportunities through Cooperation’’, and it will focus on cooperation in the areas of agriculture, trade, transport, energy and increased private sector participation among member-countries.

“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 added that Buhari would also use the occasion to strenghten warm and growing ties across broad range of areas of cooperation with leaders of the D8-member countries.

He noted that the president would also discuss Nigeria’s resolve to work with D-8 member-countries on many key areas, including peace and security, economy and trade.

Read also: Boko Haram members are freed but we’re stuck in jail, ‘mutinous’ soldiers cry out from Kirikiri

Buhari would also discuss the significant show of confidence in Nigeria’s business environment and economy during the summit which marks the 20th anniversary of the organisation.

The D8-member countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

“At the end of the Summit, the Heads of State and Government will adopt a Communiqué, also known as the Istanbul Declaration,” he said.

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