Turkey and Niger Strengthen Ties Amid Western Withdrawals

Turkey and Niger have reached an agreement to bolster cooperation across energy, mining, intelligence, and defense sectors, following Niger's decision to expel Western military personnel and terminate mining contracts with numerous Western countries. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, and MIT intelligence head Ibrahim Kalin visited Niamey, Niger's capital, on Wednesday.

The Turkish delegation met with Niger’s leader General Abdourahmane Tiani, who came to power last July after a military coup ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Since then, Niger has shifted its international alliances, expelling French troops, ordering U.S. withdrawals, and severing security pacts with the European Union.

This visit comes two months after Niger's Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. On Wednesday, Turkish and Niger officials discussed deepening intelligence cooperation, according to Foreign Minister Fidan.

A statement from the Turkish defense ministry on Thursday detailed discussions on enhancing military cooperation and training between the two nations. Additionally, Turkey's energy ministry reported a signed declaration to support Turkish companies' initiatives to improve Niger’s oil and natural gas fields. Notably, Niger holds Africa’s highest-grade uranium ores and is the seventh-largest global uranium producer, yet Turkey does not plan to procure uranium from Niger for its Rosatom-built nuclear power plant.

(With inputs from agencies.)