Turkey is not interested in colonial pursuits in Africa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday as he sets off for a four-day visit to the continent.
“Since these are Turkey’s first visits to Angola and Togo at a presidential level, they hold special significance,” Erdogan said, answering reporters’ questions at Atatürk Airport before take-off.
“We are not in Africa for the short-term or consider it within the scope of our own personal interests,” he said, adding, “We are not among those trying to sustain the colonial order.”
The president also noted that Turkey is “prominent” as a strategic partner to African countries.
Erdogan has officially visited 28 African countries to date, and will now tour Angola, Nigeria, and Togo.
The trip is significant as Turkey is hosting two important events in Istanbul: a two-day Turkey-Africa 3rd Economy and Business Summit on Oct. 21, and a two-day Turkey-Africa 3rd Partnership Summit on Dec. 17.
Turkey's African policy, which encompasses political, humanitarian, economic, and cultural spheres, is part of its multidimensional foreign policy.
Turkey aims to contribute to the economic and social development of the continent with peace and stability, as well as to develop bilateral relations on the basis of equal partnership and mutual benefit.
To this effect, the number of Turkish embassies in Africa has increased from just 12 in 2002 to 43 in 2021.
Turkey's trade with Africa was $5.4 billion at the end of 2003, which climbed to $25.3 billion by 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
