Türkiye affirms commitment to deepening ties with Africa
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan affirmed, Sunday, at the conclusion of the third Turkish-African Review Conference in Djibouti, his country’s commitment to deepening relations with the African continent, and called for strengthening diplomatic support for Palestine.
The Turkish Foreign Minister added during the conference, that “Africa can play an effective role in supporting the Palestinian cause, and stopping the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza”.
The Turkish Foreign Minister expressed his country’s appreciation for the African countries that stand with Palestine, particularly praising the recent step taken by South Africa, which is to submit evidence of the genocide committed by the Israeli occupation to the International Criminal Court.
Regarding Türkiye’s relations with Africa, the minister explained that his country adopts a comprehensive and integrated approach to enhance trade and economic partnership with the African continent.
The Turkish official reiterated Ankara’s support for the African Union to become a permanent member of the G20, stressing that efforts must continue to make the United Nations more relevant and capable of facing the complex challenges of the century, stressing that reforming the Security Council is of utmost importance in this regard.
The ministerial conference was attended by 14 countries, including, in addition to Mauritania and the host country Djibouti, Angola, Chad, Comoros, the Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
It’s worth noting, that trade between Turkiye and Africa had exceeded $35 billion in 2023, and Turkish direct investments reached $7 billion.
Türkiye is the fourth largest supplier of weapons to sub-Saharan Africa, and has contributed to training armed forces in a number of countries on the continent.
In recent months, Türkiye has mediated in the conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia, struck a mining deal with Niger, and in the past two decades, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made 50 visits to 31 African countries.
