NIGER and Turkey have agreed to strengthen cooperation in energy, mining, intelligence, and defence. This development comes after Niger recently asked Western military personnel to leave and terminated mining contracts with several Western countries. The announcement was made during a visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, and MIT intelligence agency head Ibrahim Kalin to Niger’s capital, Niamey, on Wednesday.
The Turkish delegation met with Niger’s leader General Abdourahmane Tiani, who has been in power since the military coup in July last year that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Since taking over, Tiani’s junta has expelled French troops, ordered the withdrawal of US military personnel, and severed security pacts with the European Union.
This visit by Turkish ministers follows a meeting between Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara two months ago. During the discussions, Turkish and Niger officials focused on improving cooperation in defence intelligence, according to Fidan.
A Turkish defence ministry official stated that Guler discussed ways to enhance defence and military training cooperation between Turkey and Niger. Additionally, the two countries signed a declaration to support and encourage Turkish companies to develop oil and natural gas fields in Niger, as announced by Turkey’s energy ministry.
Niger holds the highest-grade uranium ores in Africa and is the world’s seventh-largest producer of uranium. However, a Turkish diplomatic source clarified that Ankara is not seeking to buy uranium from Niger for its first nuclear power plant, which is being constructed by Russia’s Rosatom in Turkey’s Mediterranean region.
This partnership marks a significant shift in Niger’s international alliances and highlights Turkey’s expanding influence in West Africa. The collaboration aims to bolster economic and security ties between the two nations amidst regional and global geopolitical changes.
