Turkey has announced that its embassy in Abuja will now issue visas directly to Nigerian business travelers without needing approval from Ankara.
The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Mehmet Poroy, revealed the development on Monday during a courtesy visit to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Hon Nyesom Wike, in Abuja.
He said the new arrangement would remove longstanding delays and encourage smoother commercial engagement.
“As you rightly mentioned, the economic aspect of our relations is maybe the most important part,” Poroy said, noting that the two countries were still far behind their economic potential.
“At the embassy, we can give directly, under certain conditions, their visa. This is an important first step to facilitate people-to-people and businessman-to-businessman contact between the two countries.”
Poroy, who assumed duty about six months ago and is yet to formally present his letter of credence, added that Turkey was finalising internal processes to open a Consulate-General in Lagos, describing it as another key step towards strengthening diplomatic and commercial relations.
He thanked the FCT administration for its support to Turkish nationals living in Abuja, expressing optimism that his posting would be “very nice and fruitful”.
Responding, Wike welcomed the envoy and said the FCT Administration was committed to expanding economic relations with Turkey, particularly with business hubs such as Istanbul.
“We would like to see how we can partner with them to improve economic relations,” he said.
The FCT minister praised the simplified visa procedure, saying it would ease long-standing frustrations for Nigerian traders and business travellers.
“Now that you have taken steps, we commend that, so businessmen who want to go to Turkey will not find it difficult,” Wike said.
He assured the ambassador that Abuja remained dedicated to providing a conducive environment for legitimate businesses, including those run by Turkish nationals.
Poroy was accompanied by Hakan Tok, a secretary at the Turkish Embassy.