[ad_1]
The largest in East Africa Indoor arena In Rwanda; one kind National Mosque In Ghana; one Army base In Somalia; and nearly 400 kilometers long Railway project This will help inland Ethiopia directly access the main trade routes through the port of Djibouti.
These are only part of Turkey’s growing footprint in sub-Saharan Africa, as Ankara has been trying for the past two decades to present itself as an alternative on a continent that has long witnessed fierce competition between traditional European powers and newcomers. Participant.
Nevertheless, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will start another round of diplomatic visits on Sunday, Turkey’s outreach may achieve more results, which will cover Angola. , Nigeria and Togo.
In addition to signing new agreements, this trip will also see business forums bringing together Turkish and local businessmen from each country to cultivate relationships and agreements.
It also precedes two major events that the Turkish government has been preparing for-the Turkey-Africa Business Summit later this month and the third Turkey-Africa Summit in December.
Erdogan’s first stop will be in Angola Political and economic transformation After Jose Eduardo dos Santos (Jose Eduardo dos Santos) ruled for nearly four years.
President Joao Lorenco, who visited Turkey three months ago, has been looking for ambitious actors to help diversify a highly oil-dependent economy.
Turkish Ambassador to Angola Alp Ay believes that Ankara can be part of the country’s transformation.
“An Angola that embraces the world with an active foreign policy and a stronger economic structure will benefit Angola and the entire region. Therefore, Turkey is ready to contribute to the reform process, especially in the diversification of economic resources, strengthening of infrastructure and creating new In terms of employment opportunities,” Ai told Al Jazeera.
Nigeria, the second stop of the tour, is Turkey’s largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, with a trade volume of 754 million U.S. dollars in 2020. However, Murat Yigit of Istanbul University of Commerce says there is more work to be done.
“Turkey’s relations with Nigeria and Angola, two important countries with huge energy resources, are currently far behind their potential,” Igit told Al Jazeera.
“If they start to play a role in Turkey’s energy supply, it will not be surprising,” he added.
Ambitious mission
These visits are part of Erdogan’s long-standing re-establishment of ties with the African continent, and he described Turkey as “Non-Eurasian countries” More African countries have been visited than any other non-African leader. By the end of the visit, Erdogan had visited a total of 30 African countries as president and prime minister since 2004.
Historically, the Ottoman Turks have established strong ties with emir, kingdoms and communities across the African continent, especially in what is now Morocco, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa.
However, this relationship has gone through a halt for decades. The young Republic of Turkey was founded on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. It focused on neighboring countries and Europe, and did not begin to change direction until the end of the Cold War.
As Turkey shifts to a more multidimensional paradigm in its foreign policy, the continent has become a core pillar of a new strategy that has witnessed the development of complex multi-layered relationships that now include commerce, aid, diplomacy, and military support.
The figures show how far Turkey has come.From 5.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2003, Ankara’s trade volume with the African continent Dramatic increase By 2020, it will exceed 25 billion U.S. dollars.
In the past ten years or so, Turkey’s diplomatic missions quickly spread throughout Africa. There are currently 43 Turkish embassies, compared with 12 in 2009. Turkey’s flagship airline, Turkish Airlines, operates flights to 60 different destinations in 39 countries, while the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency operates from 30 coordination centers across the continent.
Ibrahim Bashir Abdoulaye, a Niger researcher at Bayreuth University in Germany, said that the reason for the growing influence of Turkey is that its participation is different from other major countries in terms of political discourse, commercial and humanitarian aid models. .
“Unlike other players, Turkey’s business model is fast, practical and influential. Turkish products are favored by Africans because they are cheaper than European products and are of higher quality than Chinese products,” Abdulaye told Peninsula TV station.
Multifaceted approach
Turkey’s rising influence is most evident in East Africa. In 2011, Erdogan’s visit to famine-stricken Somalia triggered the largest humanitarian movement in Turkish history, and the aid marked the beginning of a large-scale operation in Ankara. State building process domestic.
In neighboring Ethiopia, Ankara is the second largest foreign investor after China. There are about 200 Turkish companies operating in Africa’s second most populous country. With the development of relations, the Ethiopian government is currently involved in a war for nearly a year in the northern part of the country. It is said that Show interest in purchasing Turkish drones.
Further north, last year Turkey’s military and diplomatic support helped the government of Tripoli, the capital of Libya recognized by the United Nations, repel the military offensive of the traitor commander Khalifa Haftar.In Algeria, Turkey, like China, is one of the largest foreign investors with $3.1 billion in trade.
At the same time, several media recently reported that Morocco sign Signed a contract worth 70 million US dollars with the Turkish private company Baykar, requiring Bayraktar TB2 drones, which is a shining star in Turkey’s growing military industry.
In the western corner of the African continent, Turkish state agencies and NGOs built mosques, deliver Educational health care, aid, and education aid that poor communities in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali need urgently.
In the past ten years, Ankara’s trade volume with the regional power Senegal has increased 16 times. Turkish companies have changed the face of Dakar, the capital, through important infrastructure projects such as the international airport, stadium and Olympic swimming pool.
A military Cooperation agreement Ankara signed an agreement with Niger in July last year, allowing Turkey to have a military presence in the country.
However, Turkey’s recent push in West Africa Rattle France accuses Ankara of “destroying France’s West African relations” by playing tricksPost-colonial resentment“, and to fund the “French-French media” that incited dissatisfaction with Paris.
However, Abdullaya said that Erdogan’s political stance against global order and his criticism of the West resonated with those in power in the African Capital Corridor.
“It is important for African countries to diversify their partners so that they can balance the growing influence of China and the Western powers that are trying to maintain hegemony through new players,” he added. “Therefore, strengthening relations with Turkey will benefit African countries.”
[ad_2]
Source link