In our country’s recent history, Turkiye’s relations with Africa have been one of those areas where all boundaries have been pushed, from foreign policy to economic life, from education to health, and especially in development and humanitarian aid. It is as if Türkiye’s centuries-old presence on the continent has been revived again and again. The Turks were told that they could not or should not return to this vast geography. Despite all its efforts throughout most of the 20th century, the country that led the unprecedented meeting of Asia and Africa was unable to open its closed doors.
Even in the 2000s, when important advances were made regarding Africa, it was only a matter of time before the topic was quickly closed down. The answer to the meager attempts to recognize this continent at international events is likely to end with “now is not the time.” The presence of their ancestors in almost half of this vast geography of 30 million square kilometers was forgotten only in archival documents, manuscripts on library shelves, or the pages of a few printed books. North Africa, East Africa, and Central Africa, which were the main areas of activity for the Turks, were left aside. Since the early 19th century, new information has been generated about almost the entire continent, from the memoirs of Western travelers, from academic research at university research centers in Paris and London, and from the novels of French and British writers. It was limited to things. They were fictitious.
In the 1900s, Turquier was deeply concerned that even if he gained knowledge, he would not be able to find interlocutors who could benefit from it. Perhaps this cannot continue, and the biggest obstacle is related to the fact that at the 2016 Berlin Conference, we were relegated to the status of a country with no influence in the future of Africa, which was divided by seven European countries. Ta. 1885. With the exception of Ethiopia, which remained independent within the continent for several years after its creation, and Liberia, which the United States closely followed, there was no room for American action.
Turkiye’s first diplomatic contacts were with Egypt in 1925 and Ethiopia in 1926, but Turkiye’s return to the continent became active in the early 1950s when African countries gained independence as they prepared for the 100th anniversary of their founding. As soon as Libya gained independence in 1951, diplomatic relations were established in 1952. Diplomatic relations were subsequently established with Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan and many other countries. Fast forward to the 21st century, and 32 new embassies were opened between 2009 and 2022, bringing the total number to 44. Currently, there are 10 African countries that do not yet have an embassy in Turkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Africa policy aims to open embassies in all these countries.
Invest, build, heal
By 2024, when the world’s population reaches 8.2 billion, Africa’s population will reach 1.5 billion, surpassing India and China. Turkiye most effectively responded to the African Union movement launched in 2005 by other countries on the African continent, starting with international relations and extending to many areas such as trade, defense and security, development, education, health and medicine. It is one of the countries that has continuously responded to this issue. Agriculture and animal husbandry.
This is no coincidence; as a result of multifaceted interactions, trade has grown from just over $5 billion to today more than $30 billion. The Prime Minister’s Africa Strategy Paper, which was created and entered into force in March 2010, mobilized all the institutions of the state, both public and private. Meanwhile, special units have been established within each relevant ministry in Africa. Turkish Airlines and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the External Economic Relations Committee (DEIK), the Religious Affairs Presidency (Diyanet), the Turkish Marif Foundation, the Presidency of Overseas Turks and Associated Communities (YTB), and all universities. , the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD), the Turkish Red Crescent Society, the Yunus Emre Institute, and other important institutions have collaborated to carry out on-site investigations in many countries on the continent, and the amount continues to grow. Masu. The amount has reached more than $100 billion as a result of the businessmen’s investment activities that began in Libya in the mid-1970s and spread throughout the country. From food to textiles, from the machinery industry to the defense industry, Turkiye accommodated African customers not only in Istanbul, but in all cities in the country where production takes place.
Gone are the days of the 1990s, when even ordinary Turkish products were delivered to African markets through European intermediaries. African merchants and Turkish businessmen now supply products directly to customers. Many countries on the continent are even participating in the competitive environment of this sector by establishing facilities to produce food, textiles, mining, construction materials such as cement and steel, in line with the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. I am. The number of companies in our economy that build and operate airports instead of passengers, build and operate ports as well as transport cargo by ship, and complete and operate hotels with state-of-the-art facilities. , a number that can be expressed in thousands.
Emergency humanitarian operations by Turkish NGOs in several African countries have now turned into long-term, small-scale development operations covering the entire continent. The challenges faced in providing drinking water are being reinvigorated in rural areas with tens of thousands of wells being drilled in dozens of countries. The 1980s and even 1990s, when dozens of students studied at public and private universities, are long gone. Now we live in the 2020s, where 60,000 young Africans are in education. Tens of thousands of students also study in Maarif Foundation schools in Africa. Turkiye hospitals not only accept patients and provide medical services, but in some countries modern hospitals are being built according to the demands of the times.
different from others
At first glance, Turkiye’s presence in Africa may resemble that of other countries such as the United States, China, India, Brazil, Russia, and Japan, let alone former colonial powers, but Turkiye has a unique approach to Africa. I’m taking it. We do not burden the other party with loans that are difficult to repay, nor do we bring only our own human resources to the business site and employ them. On the contrary, many Turkish businessmen use their continental income to invest locally. They prioritize earning money not just for themselves but for Africans. The main goals that have been set for this continent over the past two decades have now turned into a major movement. However, it is too early to say that Turkiye has reached a level where it can fully make its weight felt both by the natives of this vast geography and by its rivals active in this field, as it did during the Ottoman period.
Shaping the diplomatic expansion so that the Turkish Republics of Asia have a presence in Africa as soon as possible will further strengthen Turkiye’s presence on the continent. Of the 57 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), 27 are African countries, so by opening up opportunities for exchange in all fields such as education, health, sports, defense, and development, we are promoting exchanges with the other 30 countries. It is possible to expand. Situated between Asia, Europe and Africa, Turkiye has a highly strategic geography that unifies rather than divides, builds rather than destroys, educates rather than drives into ignorance, and provides security. In other words, Mr. Turkiye wants to see a self-sufficient Africa that is in the process of recovering what it lost during the most destructive period in its 3,000-year history: colonialism. Turkiye’s approach, which made great sacrifices in this process, especially in Somalia, has made the country sought after by African politicians at every opportunity. Overall, this continent was thought to have been forgotten by the Turks, but it can be said that they have left those days behind and returned to Africa.
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