Visit of Niger's President Abdurrahman Tchiani to Türkiye (2026)

Visit of Niger President Abdurrahman Tchiani to Türkiye (4 June 2026), at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is an official visit to Türkiye on 4 June 2026 aimed at enhancing political, economic, educational and defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and Niger. During the visit, Tchiani was formally welcomed at the Presidential Complex, participated in bilateral and delegation-level talks, conducted inspections at the ROKETSAN facilities, and several cooperation agreements were signed between the two countries.

^{President Erdoğan welcomes Niger President Tchiani at the official ceremony, 4 June 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

President Tchiani’s official vehicle was met by mounted cavalry on the avenue in front of the Presidential Complex and escorted to the protocol entrance. President Erdoğan greeted Tchiani at the main entrance of the Complex.

A military band played the national anthems of both countries for the two leaders as they took their positions on the ceremony grounds. Flags representing the 16 Turkish states in history were displayed alongside soldiers, and a 21-gun salute was fired.

^{President Erdoğan welcomes Niger President Tchiani at the official ceremony, 4 June 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

Tchiani greeted the Guard of Honour Battalion with the words “Hello soldier.” The two leaders introduced their respective delegations and then shook hands in front of the Turkish and Nigerien flags, posing for the press.

The senior Turkish officials present at the ceremony include: Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, Head of the National Intelligence Organization İbrahim Kalın, Director of Communications of the Presidency Burhanettin Duran, Chief of the Presidential Private Office Hasan Doğan, Secretary-General of the Presidency Hakkı Susmaz, Chief Advisor on Foreign Policy and Security to the President Akif Çağatay Kılıç, Head of the Presidency of Defense Industries Haluk Görgün, Deputy Chair of the Presidential Council for Security and Foreign Policies Çağrı Erhan and Governor of Ankara Yakup Canbolat.

Following the official welcoming ceremony, President Erdoğan and Tchiani held a bilateral meeting and then presided over delegation-level talks. After the conclusion of the talks, the two leaders will attend the signing ceremony of the agreements and a joint press conference.

^{President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Niger President Abdurrahman Tchiani preside over delegation-level talks, 4 June 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

The Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) led an international defense industry cooperation activity during which Niger President Abdurrahman Tchiani and his delegation visited ROKETSAN, one of Türkiye’s leading defense industry companies, to conduct inspections.

During the visit, the Nigerien delegation was comprehensively informed about Türkiye’s defense industry’s national and indigenous capabilities, its high-tech production infrastructure, engineering expertise and future-oriented vision.

As part of the program, the delegation received briefings on Türkiye’s level of development in its defense industry ecosystem, its approach to domestic and national system development, and ROKETSAN’s advanced technological solutions tailored to diverse operational needs.

Following the bilateral and delegation-level talks, several joint agreements were signed in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdurrahman Tchiani across various fields.

“Implementation Protocol for Cooperation in Higher Education under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation for the Period 2026–2030” was signed by Chairman of the Council of Higher Education Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Nigerians Abroad Bakary Yaou Sangare.

“Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the Economic and Commercial Cooperation Commission” was signed by Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat and Minister of Trade and Industry of Niger Abdoulaye Seydou.

“Protocol on the Joint Operation and Transfer of the Niger-Türkiye Friendship Hospital” was signed by Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu and Minister of Health and Public Hygiene of Niger Colonel Dr. Garba Hakimi.

“Memorandum of Understanding between the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye and the National Institute of Diplomatic and Strategic Studies of the Republic of Niger” was signed by Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Nigerians Abroad Bakary Yaou Sangare.

At the joint press conference held after the signing ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan noted that President Abdurrahman Tchiani’s first official visit outside Africa was to Türkiye and affirmed that Niger holds a prominent place among Türkiye’s friendly and brotherly nations in Africa with deep historical ties.

Erdoğan stated that discussions during the talks comprehensively covered cooperation in defense industry, security, energy, mining, trade, investments, education, health and agriculture, adding: “We discussed investment opportunities in Niger and reached agreement on the economic and commercial partnership framework. As we have just witnessed, we have further strengthened the foundation of our relations by signing agreements in various fields. The Türkiye-Niger Friendship Hospital, whose operation protocol we renewed, makes a highly valuable contribution to the humanitarian dimension of our relations with Niger. TİKA, which implemented the Friendship Hospital and Friendship School projects, continues its contributions to strengthening Niger’s administrative and civil infrastructure, particularly in irrigation, agriculture and livestock.”

Regarding cooperation in education, Erdoğan said: “Our Türkiye Maarif Foundation provides education to over 1,700 students across 12 schools in the capital Niamey. Nearly 500 Nigerien students, 300 of whom are in Türkiye, are pursuing higher education in our country. Türkiye graduates serve as goodwill ambassadors, strengthening the friendship between our peoples. Just now, we signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between our Council of Higher Education and its Nigerien counterpart. InshaAllah, we will continue our cooperation with Niger in all these areas.”

Erdoğan affirmed Türkiye’s solidarity with its friendly and brotherly nations in combating terrorist organizations in the Sahel region, stating: “As I have consistently emphasized, we continue to develop our relations with African countries based on the principles of equal partnership, mutual respect and win-win outcomes. We view these relations not only in commercial and economic terms but as long-term cooperation across a broad spectrum including security, education, culture and transportation. We stand alongside our friendly and brotherly nations in confronting terrorist organizations that create instability in the continent, especially in the Sahel region.”

Erdoğan noted that opportunities for military education and intelligence cooperation were also assessed, adding: “We also evaluated possibilities for closer cooperation in military education and intelligence within this framework. We affirmed our readiness to share Türkiye’s experience in this field. I am confident that the meetings between the visiting delegation and our leading defense industry firms will yield positive results in the near future.”

President Abdurrahman Tchiani thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the hospitality shown during the visit and stated that the visit carried symbolic significance befitting the level of cooperation between the two countries.

Tchiani assessed the historical background of Türkiye-Niger relations as follows: “Our bilateral cooperation strengthened when 450 people left Libya and settled in Agadez in 1405. The first diplomatic agreements between the Republic of Türkiye and the independent Republic of Niger were signed in 1966.”

Tchiani described President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to Niger on 8 January 2013 as “the beginning of a historic era” and emphasized that Türkiye’s support has continued since then in defense, health, education, agriculture, energy and infrastructure. Regarding defense cooperation, Tchiani said: “Our air defense systems, vehicles and other military equipment are currently operating alongside Turkish equipment and systems. You have helped us achieve greater calm and stability in this terrorist environment.”

Tchiani concluded his assessment of the visit by saying: “I hope our cooperation continues and grows stronger and serves as a model—not only for the African continent but also for the world.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted a state dinner in honor of Niger President Abdurrahman Tchiani at the Presidential Complex. The dinner was held behind closed doors to the press.