President Erdoğan presided over the signing ceremony of agreements in various fields following private and inter-delegation meetings with Gabon President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema at the Presidential Complex and then held a joint press conference.

Expressing his pleasure at hosting Gabon President Oligui Nguema and his delegation in Türkiye, Erdoğan said:

Gabon is a friendly country with which we have been cooperating for many years, contributing to the stability of its region and possessing natural wealth and diversity. We are further developing this friendship through mutual visits. As you know, Gabon successfully held its presidential elections following the transition period it entered in 2023. I hope that the parliamentary elections to be held in the coming months will also contribute to the stability and peace of the country.

Stating that Oligui Nguema received strong public support, President Erdoğan once again congratulated Oligui Nguema.

Erdoğan emphasized that they had thoroughly evaluated the potential for cooperation between Turkey and Gabon in bilateral and inter-delegation meetings and confirmed their will to further develop relations through signed agreements, noting that Turkish companies had recently undertaken important construction and energy projects in Gabon.

Recalling that the total value of projects undertaken by Turkish contractors exceeded 2.5 billion dollars, Erdoğan noted:

I expressed to them that our private sector is ready to take on a role in areas such as housing, energy, digital transformation, and mining, particularly within the scope of the development strategy led by Mr. Nguema. Similarly, we are ready to share our experience with Gabon in areas such as agriculture, fisheries, science, and technology. I find the services provided by the Turkish Maarif Foundation since 2018 in Gabon, where Turkish Airlines flies directly, invaluable. We are preparing to increase the capacity of the school currently serving nearly 700 students and to open new educational institutions. Gabon is among the countries that have most rapidly supported our fight against FETÖ on the African continent. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them once again.

"WE CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT"

President Erdoğan stated that they are determined to advance their relations with friendly and brotherly countries in Africa within a holistic, institutional and systematic framework, and made the following statements:

"We continue to contribute to stability and development on the basis of equal partnership and win-win principles, within the framework of the principle of 'finding African solutions to Africa's problems.' Our diplomatic representation network encompassing every corner of the continent is the clearest sign of this strong will. While we had only 12 embassies in Africa in 2002, today we have 44 embassies operating on the continent. In this context, we also launched our Embassy in Libreville in 2012. The number of African embassies in Africa has now reached 38, and our capital has become a diplomatic hub in this regard."

Erdoğan, who stated that he also discussed the genocide in Gaza with Gabonese President Oligui Nguema, said,"Our African brothers' strong solidarity with the Palestinian people is well-known. The African continent was one of the regions where the clearest reactions to Israel's 22-month policy of massacre in Gaza came. No one can remain silent in the face of a brutal scene where innocent children die of starvation and civilians gathered to receive food aid are deliberately shot. Anyone with even the slightest shred of conscience, compassion, or human dignity is about to lose patience in the face of this cruelty."

President Erdoğan said,"Our priority is to deliver humanitarian aid to our brothers and sisters in Gaza. As the humanitarian front, we are obligated to do whatever is necessary to stop this oppression. We find the humanitarian reactions that have recently emerged from Europe, particularly France and the UK, very valuable."

Stating that they welcome every step taken towards the recognition of the State of Palestine, Erdoğan continued:

One of the most effective responses to Israel's genocidal policies is to support a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. I recently called French President Mr. Macron and congratulated him on his courageous decision. I saw that President Mr. Nguema shares similar sentiments regarding preventing a humanitarian disaster in Gaza. In the coming days, we will work to further increase the pressure on the Israeli government. We will make our brothers and sisters in Gaza feel even more strongly that they are not alone. We will exert even greater efforts to achieve a swift ceasefire and establish lasting peace in the region.

I would like to emphasize this here: as a government, we are not seeking political polemics regarding Gaza. We are concerned with alleviating the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, healing their wounds, and extending a helping hand to those innocent children of Gaza, who are now emaciated. We expect all political actors in our country to approach this issue with the same high sensitivity and to refrain from ignorant rhetoric that would harm Türkiye's efforts, which have been praised worldwide.

Erdoğan thanked Gabonese President Oligui Nguema and his delegation for the visit, which served as a confirmation of the friendship between the two countries. He said,"President Nguema has a busy schedule today and tomorrow, meeting with business circles. I wish the Turkey-Gabon Business and Investment Forum, which will be held in Istanbul tomorrow, a success. I send my heartfelt greetings to the friendly people of Gabon."

8 AGREEMENTS SIGNED BETWEEN Türkiye AND GABON

Joint agreements were signed between the two countries in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President of Gabon Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.

Following the one-on-one and inter-delegation meetings between President Erdoğan and Oligui Nguema, joint agreements between the two countries were signed.

In this context, the"Military Education Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Gabon", the"Protocol on Education and Cooperation in the Field of Military Health between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Gabon" and the "Cash Aid Implementation Protocol between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Gabon" were signed by the Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and the Minister of National Defense of Gabon Brigitte Onkanowa.

The"Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Energy between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Gabon" was signed by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, and the Minister of Water and Energy Access of Gabon, Philippe Tonangoye.

The"Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Hydrocarbons between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Gabon" was signed by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and Gabon Oil and Gas Minister Sosthene Nguema Nguema.

The"Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Mining between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Gabon" was signed by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gabon responsible for Regional Integration and Gabonese Abroad, Michel Regis Onanga Ndiaye.

The"Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Protocol between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Gabon" and the "Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Gabon in the Fields of Education, Vocational and Technical Education and Training" were signed by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gabon responsible for Regional Integration and Gabonese Abroad, Michel Regis Onanga Ndiaye.