Referring to his slogan “the world is bigger than five” – a protest to the unrepresentative setup of the UNSC – Erdoğan said Turkey’s efforts were also meant for its brothers and sisters in Africa.
“I believe that we need to join forces in order for Africa to be represented in the Security Council as it deserves,” he said in his opening speech of the Third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit being held in Istanbul.
The three-day summit began on Thursday with a meeting of high-level government officials in Istanbul and continued with a meeting of foreign ministers on Dec. 17.
Over 100 government ministers and 16 presidents from Africa are attending the summit, which is being held under the theme “Enhanced Partnership for Common Development and Prosperity.”
“Turkey has never turned its back on Africa and African peoples and strongly supported the freedom movements in the continent, especially the North African countries, despite the difficult conditions. As a result of our joint efforts, we have brought Turkey-Africa relations to levels that were unimaginable 16 years ago,” said Erdoğan.
Expressing his happiness to host the participants in Turkey on the occasion of the third summit, Erdoğan also thanked the African Union Commission, which did not spare its contribution to the execution of the summit in spite of the resurging pandemic.
Emphasizing that the Turkish nation has strong human ties with Africa dating back to the 9th century, Erdoğan noted that centuries-old mosques, libraries, inns and ports built in different cities of the continent are just some of the signs of ancient friendship.
“The traces of the common history can be found in every corner of the continent from Sudan to Libya, from Harar to Cape Town, from Mogadishu to Timbuktu,” said Erdoğan, noting that a new page was opened in relations with the continent after the declaration of 2005 as the Year of Africa in Turkey.
“With the Turkey-Africa Partnership Summits organized twice, we have clearly demonstrated the seriousness of our country and the importance we attach to relations with the continent,” he said.
“Our trade volume, which (in 2003) was $5.4 billion with Africa, exceeded $25.3 billion in 2020. Our trade in the first 11 months of 2021 has already reached $30 billion. The value of our continent-wide investments has reached $6 billion. Turkish companies provide employment to approximately 25,000 Africans,” said Erdoğan, adding that Turkish contracting companies have signed 1,686 projects with a total value of up to $78 billion across Africa.
Speaking on the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, which entered into force on Jan. 1, 2021, Erdogan said, “I believe we will move our bilateral trade to $50 billion and then $75 billion through our joint efforts.”
“In addition to our diplomatic missions, we have further expanded our presence across the continent with institutions such as TIKA, Yunus Emre Institute, Maarif Foundation, Anadolu Agency, Turkish Airlines and the Red Crescent,” said Erdoğan, noting that when the process of emergency use approval for TURKOVAC is completed, they will offer the vaccine to the service of all humanity, including African people.
The first Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit was held in Istanbul, the second in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, before returning once again to Istanbul.
Organized by Turkey’s Presidency, the three-day summit, which will continue through Saturday, is being attended by heads of state and representatives of international institutions from African countries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month once again reaffirmed that Turkey’s approach in its ever-growing relations with African countries is based on equal partnership and a win-win principle, emphasizing the strong will to further develop commercial ties.
Turkey’s engagement with the African continent has been gaining pace over the years. Since taking office nearly two decades ago, first serving as prime minister, Erdoğan has been fostering ties with Africa, presenting Turkey as a fairer player than the continent’s former colonial powers.
Source:dailysabah.com