'Win-win': Altun highlights Türkiye, Africa ties at TRT Afrika launch

Türkiye strives to reach "higher and better" heights with Africa, Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has said at the launch of public broadcaster TRT’s new digital news platform TRT Afrika.

The platform will function in line with TRT's objectives of impartial and inclusive journalism and showcase stories from the world’s second-most populous continent to a global audience. TRT Afrika will be available in four languages: Swahili, English, Hausa and French.

"Türkiye, unlike Western states, does not take a one-sided and temporary approach towards Africa and the people of this continent," Altun said. 

"On the contrary, Türkiye shows its African brothers and sisters with all the steps it takes that its interest in the continent is based on sincere, long term and mutual benefit," he added.

Altun was speaking at the three-day "First Broadcasting Summit" organised by TRT and the African Broadcasting Union.

During his speech, Altun also highlighted Türkiye's strong relations with African countries in the last 20 years under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

"We are witnessing that our relations with African countries based on a win-win understanding, equal partnership and trust, are getting stronger day by day," he said.

Altun said he hopes the three-day summit "will further strengthen the accelerating relations between our countries and increase the cooperation opportunities."

READ MORE: TRT Afrika: Türkiye's public broadcaster launches Africa edition

Reflecting the realities of Africa

Earlier, TRT’s Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobaci spoke, saying TRT Afrika will reflect Turkish policies with Africa "on the basis of a win-win situation".

"As of today, TRT Afrika will start broadcasting, and we know that we will be addressing a very special audience because Africa for decades has been subject to the subjective broadcasting policies of the West," Sobaci said.

Sobaci said Africa has been assessed "only in line with the interests of the Western world" and that "colonialism has been overlooked for many years."

"The rich culture and the natural beauties and the meaningful stories of this continent haven't been told enough up until today," Sobaci said. "TRT Africa will be the sole platform which will reflect the facts and realities in Africa."

In his speech, Sobaci also stressed the importance of international cooperation and thanked the international community, especially African countries, who offered help during the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye's southern region last month.

"From the first moments of this challenging period that we are in, many of our friends extended their helping hands," Sobaci said. "This disaster we faced showed us once again that international cooperation and solidarity are so important."

Sobaci also highlighted the leadership of Erdogan as a pioneering force in terms of humanitarian diplomacy.

"The relations between Türkiye and Africa gained remarkable momentum in the last 20 years. The African Opening initiative of our country has been instrumental in terms of developing our friendly relations with the African countries."