COTONOU, Benin
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi on the occasion of the country's 55th year of independence, Beninese state television channel announced Friday.
After a meeting with Yayi at the presidential palace, Yalcin Kaya Erensoy, Turkey’s ambassador in Benin, told reporters that “President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the ongoing democratic process in Benin, respect for constitutional norms and resolute march toward the emergence of the country.”
Benin is a French-speaking West African nation and was a French colony from 1894 to 1958. It will celebrate its 55th year of independence on Saturday.