Ankara — The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, said he accompanied President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on an official working visit to Ankara, Republic of Türkiye, to strengthen bilateral relations and expanding strategic cooperation between partners.

The high-level visit, which also featured the Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, focused on deepening collaboration in areas critical to Nigeria’s national security, defence capability development and technological advancement.

During the visit, President Tinubu held bilateral talks with his Turkish counterpart, which culminated in the signing of nine Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) spanning defence, trade, education, media, technology and related sectors. The agreements are expected to provide a structured framework for enhanced cooperation, facilitate access to advanced technologies, promote skills transfer and strengthen institutional partnerships in support of Nigeria’s defence modernisation agenda and overall national development.

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As part of efforts to deepen defence and air power cooperation, the CAS and the Minister of Defence visited key Turkish defence industry firms, including ASELSAN, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and HAVELSAN, all operating under the Secretariat of Defence of Türkiye. The engagements formed part of broader bilateral defence interactions between both countries.

According to officials, the visits provided opportunities to review and fine-tune existing procurement arrangements, explore future capability development initiatives and strengthen defence-industrial cooperation in support of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

The outcomes of the engagements align with the vision of the Chief of the Air Staff to build a more agile, technology-driven and professionally competent Nigerian Air Force, capable of delivering smarter air power for safer communities across the country.