Gabon invites Erdoğan to Libreville to deepen Turkey ties
Vice President Alexandre Barro Chambrier handed the invitation to Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz at the COP31 leaders' summit in Antalya.
Gabon's President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema has invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to visit Libreville, a move meant to consolidate relations between the two countries and open new investment prospects. Vice President Alexandre Barro Chambrier delivered the invitation to his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the summit.
The move follows Oligui Nguema's state visit to Turkey from July 30 to August 2, 2025, which produced eight cooperation agreements. Turkey's Summa Construction is building the presidential villas, a zoo and the Centre des congrès in Libreville's Cité de la démocratie, which was 45% complete in June 2025. Karpowership, part of Karadeniz Energy, supplies up to 150 MW to the national utility SEEG under a five-year contract.
Turkish exports to Gabon rose from about $13 million in 2008 to $126.5 million in 2025, according to the Turkish embassy in Libreville, which published the figures in May 2026. Total bilateral trade exceeded $160 million. The last Turkish president to visit Gabon was Abdullah Gül, in March 2011.