President Bola Tinubu, on Friday in Abuja, reaffirmed Nigeria’s strategic position in Africa as a bastion of peace, saying the nation will continue to play its role as a stabilizer on the continent.
Receiving a letter of credence from the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohamed Ahmed, President Tinubu emphasized the shared commitment of both countries to promoting global peace and stability through collaboration within international organizations, such as the United Nations.
President Tinubu noted that since establishing diplomatic relations in 1961, Nigeria and Egypt have collaborated on key international priorities, including promoting regional peace, security, and stability.
According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President
Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the discussions at the meeting also touched on the situation in the Sahel and Sudan.
Acknowledging Egypt’s role towards a truce in the crisis in Gaza, President Tinubu said: ”We need to do more. Stability in the region is of paramount importance.”
Ambassador Ahmed conveyed President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s willingness to bolster economic partnership with Nigeria, emphasizing Egypt’s interest in increasing trade and investments between the two countries.
”We need to complement each other on investments. Many Egyptian companies are interested in coming to Nigeria to invest,” the Egyptian Ambassador said.
In discussions with Major-General Sohail Ahmed Khan (retired), High Commissioner of Pakistan, President Tinubu described the Ambassador’s military background as invaluable for exchanging ideas to expand security and defence cooperation.
He underscored the need for global cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism.
”We must do more to stop extremists. We need to enhance our collaboration and exchange of ideas and knowledge in these areas.
”As a government, we will keep an open-door policy with countries and development partners on enhancing cooperation on security, economy, education, and the information and communication technology sector where the Minister is doing very well. How can we improve our bilateral relationship? We must do more,” the President said.
The High Commissioner of Pakistan noted the demographic similarities between the two countries and expressed a desire to elevate the relationship to new heights.
”Pakistan has the fifth largest population in the world while Nigeria is the sixth largest. We have a significant youth population, and our national flags are similar. I would like to take our relationship to a new level, from strength to strength,” the High Commissioner said.
