UPDATE - Türkiye's president receives prime minister of Niger in Ankara

ADDS DETAILS ABOUT MEETING

By Mehmet Tosun and Necva Tastan

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the prime minister of Niger on Thursday in the national capital, Ankara.

Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, who is also finance minister, is paying a visit to Türkiye until Feb 3, at the invitation of the Turkish president.

The two leaders have a meeting that addressed “political and economic relations between Türkiye and Niger, the fight against terrorism, as well as regional and global issues," Türkiye's Communications Directorate wrote on X.

"Expressing Türkiye’s support for the steps to strengthen Niger's political, military and economic independence, President Erdogan stated during the meeting that Türkiye stands against foreign military interventions that victimize the people of Niger and will continue to do so," it said.

Erdogan said: "Türkiye will continue to enhance its support to Niger and that steps will be taken to increase the trade volume between the two countries."

The meeting was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and National Defense Minister Yasar Guler.