Turkey’s Ambassador to The Gambia, Tolga Bermek, says Ankara and Banjul enjoy “excellent” bilateral relations, as President Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to make a state visit to Banjul next week.

Ambassador Bermek made the statement during a formal welcoming ceremony today at the State House where he presented his Letter of Accreditation to President Adama Barrow.

On trade

The ambassador said though the trade volume between the two countries is not at the desired level, he would work to bring more Turkish investors to The Gambia.

He said the upcoming high profile visit of President Erdogan to The Gambia, would be “short but efficient”, as the Turkey’s leader will be accompanied by a large business delegation.

“We have a good opportunity on the occasion of the visit of our President. It will be the first time of such a visit to The Gambia at the presidential level. I think it will open up new horizons to the relations of both countries,” said Ambassador Bermek.

The ambassador said they would like to increase the flight frequency of Turkish Airlines in the future as business relations develop between the two countries.

In 2019 Turkish Airlines launched direct flights from Istanbul to Banjul.