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Erdogan wants to strengthen ties at Turkey-Africa Summit | Business and Economic Affairs

Istanbul, Turkey – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the remarks at a summit of African leaders in Istanbul, Istanbul, and called for a continental seat on the UN Security Council.

Leaders of 16 African countries, along with more than 102 ministers and representatives of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States are attending a summit in Istanbul.

The third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit follows the many developments that Turkey wants promoting cooperation with the continent.

In October, Istanbul hosted a number of business leaders and ministers from African countries at a summit aimed at boosting trade.

That same month, Erdogan traveled to Angola, Nigeria, and Togo.

“Three billion people live in Africa and are not represented in the Security Council,” Erdogan said on Saturday.

“This is gross injustice. I’m still happy and excited every time I go to the continent, “Erdogan said, adding that he had traveled more than 50 trips to the continent and had visited more than 30 countries since 2004.

“This conference is a testament to Turkey’s commitment to Africa and Turkey’s interest in Africa is not a mere figment of our imagination.

Vaccines, drones, sales volume

Erdogan announced that Turkey was sharing 15 million COVID-19 vaccines with African countries in the next few months, adding that it was “a public disgrace” that only 6 percent of the people had been vaccinated so far.

Turkey is also ready to share counter-terrorism expertise and military expertise in African countries, he added.

We understand that the security crisis such as Daesh (ISIL), Boko Haram, and al-Shabab is not just a matter of a few countries, but it is a shared problem. We are ready to offer this gift to our African brothers and sisters. ”

Turkey has a large military force in Somalia, where it has helped build government infrastructure and security training.

Turkish troops are also in Libya, where they support the UN-sanctioned government, and Turkish war drones have played a key role in the war.

Although the details of the military alliance that will emerge from the summit have not been released, Murat Yigit of Istanbul Commerce University told Al Jazeera that African leaders have shown interest in Turkey’s security contributions.

“The positive developments that Turkey has experienced in the security work in recent years are evident in its relations with Africa,” Yigit said. “It is expected to improve security cooperation with countries such as Somalia, Niger and Ethiopia.

In addition, as we have seen in Libya, Turkish drones have made a significant contribution to peace in the region. It is not difficult to predict that in the new era, the Turkey-Africa alliance will gain new military and trade opportunities. “

Turkey signed a military agreement with Ethiopia earlier this year, on a trip to Ankara with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Ethiopia, along with Morocco, are already buying arms from Turkey. In October, the Reuters news agency reported that both countries were buying Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones, which were also sold in Azerbaijan, Poland, and Ukraine.

Trade between Turkey and African countries has also risen sharply in recent years.

In the first 11 months of 2021, trade between the two countries reached $ 30bn, Erdogan said on Saturday, and Turkey plans to increase this beyond $ 50bn in the coming years.

Erdogan added that about 25,000 Africans were employed on the continent by Turkish companies, at a cost of $ 78bn, and more than 14,000 African students studied in Turkey.

Economic cooperation between Turkey and African countries is driven by Turkey’s desire to diversify its partners, said Ismail Numan Telci, deputy director at the Center for Middle East Studies in Ankara.

“Instead of being restrained by its neighbors, Turkey has been reaching out to many areas, including Africa, to change its approach. As a result, Ankara has seen African countries as allies in its foreign policy and economic goals,” Telci said.

African leaders, meanwhile, were desperately looking for development partners outside of European colonial powers with a history of colonialism on the continent.

“In recent years, however, these countries have come to realize a great deal about their unique potential, not only because of their economic strength but also because of their diplomatic and military skills.

“As a result, the countries have been free from new and international regimes, including Turkey, to increase their efforts to protect their interests.”




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