USTKİP

The First Turkish – African Cooperation Summit will be organized in Istanbul between the dates of 18 and 21 August 2008 hosted by His Excellency Mr. President. A large number of State and Government Heads, Presidents, Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers and high-ranking officials, representatives of regional and international organizations from African countries will be attending the Summit. Following the meetings of High-ranking Officials and Foreign Ministers, the first session of the Summit will be realized on Tuesday, 19th of August, and official dinners will be hosted in honoring the Guest Committee Heads and members in turn by His Excellency the Prime Minister and His Excellency Mr. President on the same day.

INFORMATIVE NOTE:

1. Turkish-African relations are based on a rich and comprehensive historical background.
Turkey has always closely followed Africa, within the priority framework of our foreign policies, with which we have historical, spiritual, religious and cultural ties, and has shown efforts to develop its relationships with the Continent. Since the late 90s, a serious transformation has been experienced in our country’s opening up policy directed towards Africa, and concrete studies were undertaken to run our relations with African countries within a “framework program”. When the historical background of Turkey’s connections with Africa are analyzed, the facts that Ottoman Empire had intensive relations with various regions of Africa, that it stood against the colonization of African Continent by the big powers of the era, and that Turkey was always regarded by Africans as a close and friendly country draw attention.

In the same manner, the war of independence our country lived through under the leadership of Great Commander Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, had a powerful effect as a model that could be felt in Africa and African nations. Turkey has continued standing by the side of African countries from foundation days of the Republic, it assumed the Assistant Chairmanship and Deputy Chairmanship of “United Nations Namibia Council for Namibia” within this framework, did not establish official ties with the Republic of South Africa throughout the Apartheid regime, and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our high-ranking officials had at all occasions shared our anti-Apartheid approach with the Turkish and international public opinion.

In parallel to the close relationships it has with the Moslem societies in Africa, Turkey has also been a country that was followed with interest and sympathy by the African Christians due to its secular government structure.

It is natural that Turkey, with its strengthening democracy and economy and increasing commercial opportunities and geo-strategic positioning, will develop close partnership and cooperation relations with a much wider and extensive geography than solely with its neighboring regions and countries.

The opening up policy of Turkey towards Africa is not a reflection of our current political and economic expectations. It is the product of a process that has historical foundations.

As His Excellency Mr. President highlighted in his speech he delivered as the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time in the 61^st General Assembly of the United Nations on 22 September 2006, Turkey sees its fate and that of the international society closely tied to the destiny of Africa. It is not possible for anybody to stay indifferent to issues African Continent is facing over the mid- and long-term such as poverty, epidemics, more efficient use of natural resources, prevention of conflicts and disputes, supporting the efforts in peace and democracy, attaining sustainable economic, humanitarian and social development.

2. The contacts of His Excellency Mr. President with African countries within the opening up policy have lately picked up momentum and intensity.

In 2008, His excellency President of Sudan, Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashier on 21-23 January, and His Excellency President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade on 18-20 February visited our country as official guests of His Excellency Mr. President. His excellency Mr. President attended the 11^th session of the Islamic Conference Summit, organized at Dakar hosted by Senegal between the dates of 13-14 March, and realized several bilateral talks with several State and Government Heads of African countries.

His Excellency Mr. President, who participated in the “Turkish-African Foreign Trade Bridge” titled activity organized in Istanbul by TUSKON in May 2008, has recently accepted in Ankara, Jean Ping, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union.

3. Turkey is now included in the “strategic partners” group of African Continent with the Turkish-African Summit organized in Istanbul.

At the “Heads of State and Government of the African Union Summit” organized at Addis Ababa in late January of 2008, a decision was taken with regards to the “Turkish-African Cooperation Summit”. As such, Turkey has been included in the “strategic partners” group of African the Continent.

Recently, six commercial consultancies were established to the South of the Sahara, the number of our Honorary Consulates has doubled since the year 2000, and direct mutual flights were started with some of the African countries.

Turkey is targeting to open up fifteen more new Embassies in African countries in the near future. It will be possible for our country, which currently has five Embassies in North African countries and seven Embassies in the Sub-Saharan African countries, to extend its diplomatic representation, visibility and effectiveness further.

Turkey also attaches great importance and priority to the international dimension of its relations and cooperation with African countries. Turkey makes efforts to provide support to African countries within the International establishments. It is also observed that African countries sincerely appreciate and support these efforts of our country made in goodwill.

4. Turkey targets to greatly increase its economic and trade relations, and cooperation with Africa.

The dynamic economy, big domestic market, highly competitive industry and qualified human resources of Turkey, besides making it an attractive country for foreign investors, has also provided the basis for the increase in our foreign investment possibilities.

Turkey believes that there are extensive cooperation opportunities that are not yet adequately evaluated in the African Continent.

Virtually all the knowledge and experience accumulation that African countries require exists in Turkey. Turkey would like to share this accumulation and experience with its African allies based on mutual benefit.

In this regard, African Continent is a serious export market for the Turkish firms. In the same manner, African countries will be able to play an important role in the raw material imports of Turkey.

The volume of trade between Turkey and Africa, which was at a 5.4 billion USD level in 2003, approached 13 billion USD as of 2007-year end. The trade volume between Turkey and African countries in the first half of 2008 showed a 70% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. Turkey aims to increase its trade volume with African countries to 30 billion USD by 2010.

5. Turkey is now one of the development partners of the Continent by means of the increasing projects and activities of TIKA in the African countries.

Following the declaration of 2005 as “African Year”, works were initiated in order to increase in a substantial manner the development aid directed to the Continent, within the framework of political and economic targets of Turkey.

Within this framework, the Turkish International Cooperation & Development Agency (TIKA) established its first regional office in African Continent at Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia in 2005. TIKA accelerated the process of performing regional examinations and forming projects by establishing a representative office in Sudan (Khartoum) in 2006, and finally one in Senegal (Dakar). It is aimed to bring to life projects that are needed in countries where there are no TIKA offices by sending technical committees to such countries.

TIKA undertakes projects and works in Africa especially in the areas of development of social infrastructure, strengthening cultural cooperation and communication, amelioration of production sectors and economic infrastructure, and provides support to the Continent with emergency and humanitarian aid. TIKA, with its increasing experience and accumulation, is an organization that plays an important role in generating projects in areas that are needed in African countries and in creating resources for such.