President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Idriss Déby Itno of Chad held a joint press conference in N'Djaména following their meeting.

Expressing his pleasure to be the first Turkish President to have visited Chad, President Erdoğan noted that the number of African countries he has so far visited has risen to 24 with his visit to Chad.

Referring to Chad as a country that Turkiye attaches importance to, President Erdoğan said: “We consider ourselves as a brother of Chad as much as of Africa. We want to develop a lasting cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and equality in line with the win-win principle.” The President also highlighted his belief that this visit will lead to the re-strengthening of the ties between the two peoples that date back centuries.

"Bılateral trade volume must be ıncreased"

Pointing to the $41-42 million bilateral trade volume between Turkiye and Chad, President Erdoğan stressed that this amount is unacceptable for two countries whose populations add up to 95 million and that it must be increased swiftly.

"CHAD HAS LENT US SUPPORT IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST FETO"

President Erdoğan thanked Chad for its support in the fight against FETO and said: "The Chadian Government has always stood by us in this process. It has lent us support in our fight against FETO’s extensions, which aided and took part in the coup attempt. All of the FETO-affiliated schools in Chad have been handed over to the Turkish Maarif Foundation."

Underlining that Turkey will always stand by Chad in its fight against terror, President Erdoğan declared Turkey’s support for the G5 counterterrorism initiative for the formation of a joint anti-terror force and added that they welcome the deployment of a regional military force in accordance with the Security Council resolution. “As a country that has suffered a lot from terror, as a country that keeps up its fight against terror, we will continue to stand by you in your anti-terror fight.”

The attempts to justify Israel have failed in spite of pressure, blackmail, and threats

Expressing Turkiye’s gratitude for Chad’s participation in the OIC Extraordinary Summit held in Istanbul on December 13 following the U.S. decision to recognize Al-Quds as Israel’s capital, President Erdoğan said, “The decisions taken at the Summit reflect the Islamic world’s, Islamic Ummah’s determination for cooperation,” and added: “The United Nations General Assembly, through its resolution on the issue, has manifested how illegal and unlawful the U.S. decision on Al-Quds is. The attempts to justify Israel have failed in spite of the pressure, blackmail and threats. The only way to peace and stability in our region is the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine within the 1967 borders with Al-Quds as its capital.”

President Déby, for his part, drew attention to the historical ties between the two nations and described President Erdoğan’s visit as an opportunity to revive and further strengthen Turkey-Chad cooperation.

ILKHA