Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu said on Friday that his country aims to win mutual benefit with Africa and move forward together towards the future.
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This came in a speech he delivered at the opening of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the countries participating in the third summit of the Turkish-African Partnership, held in Istanbul.
The Turkish minister indicated the participation of 16 heads of state and government in the summit, along with 102 African ministers, including 26 foreign ministers.
He added, “Our goal is to win jointly with Africa and move together towards the future, and our vision for relations with Africa is strategic and long-term.”
Çavuşoğlu pointed out that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among the leaders who have visited Africa the most, with 50 visits to 30 countries on the continent.
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He explained that Turkish Airlines is not only a bridge of friendship between Turkey and Africa but also connects the continent to the world at the same time.
He continued, “On the occasion of this summit, we will adopt an action plan on what we will do in the next five years, in addition to the joint statement.”
“Our goal is to win jointly with Africa and move together towards the future, and our vision for relations with Africa is strategic and long-term.”
He indicated that the five-year action plan includes concrete steps under 5 items in the areas of development, trade, industry, education, informatics, women, youth, infrastructure, agriculture, and health.
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He pointed out that, in the coming days, the Organization of Turkish States will send 2.5 million doses of anti-Coronavirus vaccines to African countries as part of efforts to combat the epidemic.
Çavuşoğlu stressed that Turkey will continue to support Africa in the fight against terrorism, expressing his thanks to African friends for standing by his country in the fight against the “Gülen” terrorist organization.
He stressed that Turkey’s history is free from the stigma of colonialism, adding, “Despite those who stigmatize Africa with backwardness, civil wars and coups, and claim that they will not get out of this vicious circle, we will continue to move forward together (with Africa).”
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He pointed out that lasting peace can only be established through political stability, stressing in this context that Turkey stands against violently changing elected governments.
He stated that Turkey will soon start using its local vaccine, “Turkovac” against Corona, expressing his country’s readiness to cooperate with the African Union and the countries of the continent in delivering it to them.
