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.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he may travel to the Middle East this weekend as talks continue on a potential deal to end the war in Gaza....
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tajikistan on Wednesday for a series of meetings with leaders of former Soviet republics focused on region...
Escalating gang violence in Haiti has displaced 680,000 children, nearly twice as many as last year, as armed groups seize more territory and basic se...
A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a devastating wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles ea...
More than 200 health facilities in war-hit eastern Congo have run out of medicines due to widespread looting and supply chain disruptions during fight...
Hamas said on Wednesday (8 October) it had exchanged a list of the names of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released under a swap deal and that it was optimistic about talks in Egypt on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.
Türkiye on Wednesday slammed an intervention by Israeli forces against a flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza as an act of piracy and a violation of international law.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Monday with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said via the country’s social media platform NSosyal.
Türkiye’s benchmark stock index, the BIST 100, closed Tuesday at 10,814.11 points, up 0.74% from the previous session.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
Russia’s central bank has ruled the state violated minority shareholders’ rights in seized assets, signaling rare pushback against nationalisation.
A newly elected German mayor survived multiple stab wounds in a shocking family attack.
Cristiano Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire player, according to Bloomberg, which tracks the world’s richest individuals.
Germany has ended its fast-track citizenship programme, reflecting a shift in public attitudes toward migration and integration.
French President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours, his office said Wednesday, following the resignation of Sebastien Lecornu amid political deadlock.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment