Turkey Sets Its Sights on Building Stronger Bonds with Africa at the Djibouti Summit
Next week, Turkey’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, will set out for Djibouti to engage in significant dialogues at the Turkey-Africa ministerial meeting, aiming to strengthen ties between Ankara and the African continent, as officials noted.
Turkey, a NATO ally, has been increasingly active on African soil in recent times. Its presence is marked by a hefty climb in trade — nearly eight times higher than before. It’s also known for extending diplomatic and military assistance while penning agreements across various sectors. Anonymous insiders revealed that the Djibouti gathering will reflect on a preceding conference that took place in 2021, and will explore fresh strategies to elevate collaboration.
Scheduled for November 2nd and 3rd, the meeting is set to welcome delegates from 14 African nations, alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan, according to officials.
This meeting unfolds as Turkey endeavors to act as a peacemaker in the discord between Somalia and Ethiopia. The crux of the dispute lies in Ethiopia’s pact to lease a part of North Western State of Somalia’s coastline, creating ripples at a time when West Africa faces rising terrorism threats.
Despite the challenges posed by mistrust between the involved parties, Ankara hopes to share encouraging developments soon, remarked officials.
In recent progress, Turkey has forged a new partnership with Niger in the mining sector, following a previous oil and gas agreement inked in July with the same West African country.
Discussing the deal, officials mentioned Turkey’s Mineral Research and Exploration authority controls three gold mining regions in Niger, safeguarded by local security. The plan is to kickstart operations by year’s end.
With eyes on Africa, Turkey contends with global heavyweights like France, Russia, and China for influence by establishing alliances with numerous nations. They’ve dispatched armed drones to countries like Somalia and Ethiopia to bolster relations.
Officials elaborated on Turkey’s defense provisions, which are tailored to fortify national defenses and support anti-terror endeavors.
“Nations utilizing Turkish drones have boosted their territorial control,” shared an official, highlighting Burkina Faso’s achievement in doubling its hold over 65% of the state using these drones.
In a stark development, Tuareg rebels in Mali reported a drone attack attributed to Turkish drones, claiming the lives of eight individuals and injuring 20 others earlier this week.
