Erdogan arrives in Tunisia on last leg of Africa tour

By Cansu Dikme

TUNIS, TUNISIA (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Tunisia on Wednesday for a one-day visit aimed at deepening bilateral ties.

Erdogan was welcomed by Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Special Representative of the President Lazhar Karoui Chebbi, Tunisia’s ambassador to Ankara Faycal Ben Mustapha and Turkey's Ambassador to Tunisia Omer Faruk Dogan at Tunis-Carthage International Airport in the capital.

The president’s visit to Tunisia is the last stop on a three-nation African tour preceded by Sudan and Chad.

Erdogan is accompanied by a large delegation including his wife Emine Erdogan, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Energy and National Resources Minister Berat Albayrak, Agriculture Minister Ahmet Esref Fakibaba, Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmus, Finance Minister Naci Agbal, National Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz, National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli and Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan.

During the trip, Erdogan is due to hold meetings with his Tunisian counterpart Beji Caid Essebsi followed by a press conference.

His visit will be dominated by one-on-one meetings, including with Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, and the signing of a number of agreements to strengthen economic partnerships.