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Türkiye establishes cooperation with Africa on win-win basis: Erdogan

With relations between Türkiye and Africa improving for the last two decades, Turkish President Erdogan calls on parties to "focus on increasing trade and investments".

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"We believe that the free trade area on the African continent will create significant opportunities for trade and investments in the coming period," the president said. / Photo: AA

Turkish companies have undertaken critical infrastructure projects from energy to food and agriculture in Africa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Speaking at the 4th Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum, Erdogan said on Friday that Turkish business people’s direct investments in Africa have exceeded $10 billion.

Recalling that Türkiye announced its Africa Strategy in 2003 and declared 2005 as the “Africa Year,” he said that Türkiye established its cooperation with Africa on a win-win basis.

Stressing that Türkiye views Africa’s success as its own success, he said: “We fully supported the African Union’s G20 membership since the very beginning. Accordingly, we welcomed the African Union’s admission as a member during the recent G20 Summit in New Delhi."

"We believe that the free trade area on the African continent will create significant opportunities for trade and investments in the coming period," Erdogan said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at annual Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum in Istanbul:

- We have deep relations with African publics
- Africa has special place for Turkish nation and for our country's foreign policy pic.twitter.com/DMjQOpMNYa
— TRT World (@trtworld) October 13, 2023

Strategic partnership

Erdogan also noted that Türkiye's Africa Strategy became a strategic partnership between Türkiye and the continent.

Noting that relations between Türkiye and Africa have been improving for the last two decades, he said that parties should focus on increasing trade and investments at this point.

Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said that the forum provides an important opportunity to address the agenda issues of economic and trade relations between Türkiye and African countries and to identify new areas of cooperation.

Bolat said: "In the last 20 years, we have made many visits to Africa, we have hosted many of our African friends in our country and we have carried our existing relations further and deepened them day by day."

Amany Asfour, head of the Africa Business Council, said at the event that there is cooperation between Türkiye and Africa and that the continent wants this cooperation to be seen in various investments in the continent.

The two-day event, which started on Thursday, featured panels, press meetings and B2B gatherings.

The forum is jointly organised by Türkiye's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), the Turkish Trade Ministry and the African Union in Istanbul.