Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran represented Türkiye at the inauguration ceremony of Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema on Saturday, as Gabon officially transitioned from military to civilian rule.
According to a statement shared by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on social media platform X, Duran attended the ceremony in Libreville on behalf of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and in response to an official invitation from the Gabonese government.
The inauguration follows Gabon’s presidential election on April 12, which marked the end of the country’s transitional military government. Nguema, who led the August 2023 coup that ousted long-time President Ali Bongo, won the election with 94.85% of the vote, becoming Gabon’s new civilian leader.
The April vote came months ahead of the initially pledged timeline, following a November 2024 referendum on a new constitution. That constitution abolished the position of prime minister, authorized Nguema’s presidential candidacy, and established a seven-year term with a two-term limit.
Nguema’s inauguration is seen as a pivotal moment in Gabon’s post-coup democratization, ending over five decades of Bongo family rule and setting the stage for a new era of governance.
Strengthening Türkiye-Gabon Ties
Gabon, a key crude oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa and home to the world’s third-largest renewable water reserves, has seen growing engagement from Turkish companies in recent years. Firms from Türkiye have invested particularly in the construction and energy sectors.
In 2024, the two countries signed an agreement to avoid double taxation, reinforcing bilateral trade ties. The deal was signed on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, reflecting Ankara’s broader diplomatic outreach to African nations.
Türkiye also maintains educational and cultural ties in Gabon through the Turkish Maarif Foundation, which operates schools in Libreville offering kindergarten to high school education.
Duran’s presence at the inauguration signals Türkiye’s endorsement of Gabon’s return to civilian governance and its interest in expanding political, economic, and educational cooperation with the Central African nation.
Kazakhstan has released an interim report into the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Aktau that killed 38 people, saying damage to the aircraft was...
Ukraine has held an hour-long meeting with senior U.S. envoys on possible peace options to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 26th of December, covering the latest developments you need to...
Missile development in North Korea is set to continue over the next five years. The country’s leader Kim Jong Un made the remarks during visits to m...
Widespread flash flooding and mudflows have hit Southern California after heavy rain, prompting evacuation orders and warnings for motorists to stay o...
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has welcomed remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicating progress in the normalisation process between Ankara and Yerevan, describing the moment as ripe for concrete steps.
Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Islamic State members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country.
Senior Turkish officials have met with their Syrian counterparts in Damascus on Monday ahead of a deadline for Kurdish-led forces in the Country's northeast to be integrated into the Syrian Armed forces.
Prospects for Azerbaijan–Türkiye ties in 2026 will largely depend on regional peace efforts and the broader geopolitical environment in the South Caucasus according to a regional analyst.
A majority of Russians expect the war in Ukraine to end in 2026, state pollster VTsIOM said on Wednesday, in a sign that the Kremlin could be testing public reaction to a possible peace settlement as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify.
Military representatives from Cambodia and Thailand met in Chanthaburi province on Wednesday ahead of formal ceasefire talks at the 3rd special GBC meeting scheduled for 27th December.
In 2025, Ukraine lived two parallel realities: one of diplomacy filled with staged optimism, and another shaped by a war that showed no sign of letting up.
It’s been a year since an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Relatives and loved ones mourn the victims, as authorities near the final stage of their investigation.
The White House has instructed U.S. military forces to concentrate largely on enforcing a “quarantine” on Venezuelan oil exports for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters, signalling that Washington is prioritising economic pressure over direct military action against Caracas.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 26th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Missile development in North Korea is set to continue over the next five years. The country’s leader Kim Jong Un made the remarks during visits to major arms production facilities in the final quarter of 2025, the state news agency KCNA reported on Friday.
The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday announced his support for his son Flavio Bolsonaro’s 2026 presidential candidacy while recovering from a planned hernia operation, which doctors said went smoothly.
Ukraine has held an hour-long meeting with senior U.S. envoys on possible peace options to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram on Thursday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment