President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja said stronger diplomatic ties with Greece and the Republic of Cuba will bolster Nigeria’s ongoing effort to diversify the economy, improve global competitiveness and reposition the country to play more leading roles.
President Buhari, who received Letters of Credence from the Ambassador of Greece to Nigeria, Loannis Plotas at the Presidential Villa, said the long standing diplomatic and business relations with the country will be strengthened for mutual benefit, noting that most global challenges will need collective efforts for lasting solutions.
In his remarks, Plotas said business ties between Nigeria and Greece, had been long, particularly the flour mills that employed about 50,000 Nigerians at some point in the country’s history.
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The Ambassador in the statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said that he will continue to support and project Nigeria across Europe, at every opportunity, while sharing its expertise in agriculture with institutions and individuals in the country.
While receiving the Letters of Credence of the Ambassador of Cuba to Nigeria, Clara Margarita Pulido Escandell, the President said the cultural similarities between both countries should serve as impetus for working together, especially on trade, adding that Cuba’s efforts in developing medicine and engineering could provide a springboard.
President Buhari said Nigeria received support at international forums from Cuba for many years, assuring that the bilateral relations would be strengthened.
In her remarks, the Ambassador of Cuba said the history of Cuba is incomplete without Nigeria and Nigerians.
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She recalled that some of the slaves brought into Cuba were Nigerians, and they played great roles in the development of the country.
At the ceremony, President Buhari assured the Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea, Francisco Edu Ngua Mangue, that Nigeria is taking measures to secure the Gulf of Guinea, following his meeting with President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
The President also received Mangue’s Letters of Credence.
In his remarks, the Ambassador said the insecurity at the Gulf of Guinea had persisted, and President Mbasogo had called for joint efforts to tackle the challenge.
