Wednesday May 25, 2022
A two-day summit marking May 25, Africa Day, organized by
Turkey’s Communications Directorate, will start in Istanbul on Wednesday and is
expected to boost Ankara's cooperation with African countries in the field of
media and communication.
Eighty members of the press from 45 African countries will
be in attendance as well as African diplomats, academics and representatives
from the media, public institutions, the private sector and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), said a directorate statement.
Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun will
deliver the opening speech of the summit that aims to strengthen cooperation
and coordination between Turkish and African media members and promotes sharing
experiences and developing a partnership perspective.
Turkey aims to win alongside Africa and march together
toward the future, Çavuşoğlu said in late 2021 in his commencement speech at
the foreign ministers' meeting of the third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit in
Istanbul.
Ankara has frequently 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 relations with African countries have gained momentum,
especially after the declaration of 2005 as the "Year of Africa" and
the first Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit in 2008. The vast majority of
Turkey’s 43 embassies across the continent were opened following this summit.
For example, 27 embassies were established in African countries between 2009
and 2014.
Having adopted a one-dimensional foreign policy shaped by
its relations with the West for decades, Turkey has shifted to a more
diversified, multidimensional and independent foreign policy since the end of
the Cold War.
Since taking office nearly two decades ago, first serving as
prime minister, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been nurturing ties with
Africa, presenting Turkey as a fairer player than the continent’s former
colonial powers.
In 2021, Turkey’s trade volume with African countries was
approximately $25 billion. Still, trade relations have further potential.
Turkish companies operating across the continent since the 1970s have
undertaken major projects, especially in the infrastructure sector.
The Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), the main institution
responsible for carrying out Turkey's cultural diplomacy activities, now has 10
cultural centers in eight African countries, with an aim to double this number
in 2022.
These cultural centers not only help increase the interest
in the Turkish culture and language but also reinforce and extend cultural
exchanges.
Another public diplomacy initiative that has been
instrumental in enhancing intercultural communication is the scholarship
opportunities offered to African students through the Türkiye Scholarships of
the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).
As of 2022, Turkish Airlines, Turkey's flag carrier, flies
to 61 destinations in 40 African countries. Launching flights to 12 destinations
on the continent in 2012 alone, Turkish Airlines is expanding its flight
network in line with the priorities of Turkish foreign policy to help increase
Turkey’s visibility in Africa.
Turkey’s military cooperation with African countries has not
attracted much attention until the opening of the TURKSOM military training
facility in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu in 2017 and the signing of a military
and security cooperation agreement with the Tripoli-based Government of
National Accord (GNA) in 2019.
The last few years saw increasing interest in Turkey’s
military presence in Africa, thanks to the increased export of weapons, armored
vehicles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)/unmanned combat aerial vehicles
(UCAVs) to African countries, a direct result of Ankara’s growing defense
industry. Turkish-made UAVs are in great demand from African countries.