Buhari set to depart for Turkey on Wednesday to attend D-8 Summit

By   www.eaunde.blogspot.com

- Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, will depart the country for Turkey on Wednesday, in order to attend the D-8 Summit which will begin on Friday 

- Buhari will visit Ankara, the Turkish capital on his arrival; where he would hold a discussion with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on issues of defence cooperation, security, education and migration 

- The president 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 

- Buhari will be accompanied on the trip by ministers and top government officials including the comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service 

President Muhammadu Buhari is set to depart Nigeria for Turkey on Wednesday, October 18, to attend the Summit of the Developing 8 (D-8) which is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 20. The development was made public by Garba Shehu, the president’s senior special assistant on media and publicity. 

Shehu’s Facebook page to this effect; and it was signed by Femi Adesina, the president’s special adviser on media and publicity. Adesina stated that during the trip, the president would also embark on a working visit of Ankara; at the invitation of Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The statement read in full: “President Muhammadu Buhari will Wednesday depart for Istanbul, Turkey, to participate in the ninth Summit of the Developing 8 (D-8) on Friday, October 20, 2017. “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 capital city. "In Ankara, the President will have a tete-a-tete with his Turkish counterpart while delegations from both countries will 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. "While in Istanbul, the Turkish commercial centre, 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, namely 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 ninth Summit of the D-8, which will also mark the 20th anniversary of the organisation established to improve the developing countries’ positions in the world economy, the President will highlight the significant show of confidence in Nigeria’s business environment and economy. “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'. “The president will be accompanied on the trip by ministers, top government officials, including the comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali." 

President Muhammadu Buhari and the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) will head to Turkey for a sideline bilateral meeting with the Turkish Customs authority. The deputy comptroller-general, Aminu Dangaladima, said the meeting is aimed at permanently ending deadly importations coming from Turkey.