A conference on African Relations between the Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Africa nations was held on Friday at Istanbul’s famed Ciragan Palace Hotel.
Davutoglu delivered a speech at the opening of the Turkey-Africa Partnership Ministerial Review Conference.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu welcomed other delegation chiefs. Davutoglu stated he believed Turkey and Africa shared a common destiny. Davutoglu said that the number of Turkey’s diplomatic missions to Africa has tripled in recent years while the number of Turkish embassies in Africa rose to 33 in 2012 from 12 only a few years before.
Africa Union Term President and Foreign Affairs Minister of Equator Guinea Eustaquio Nseng Esono stated that Africans want to strengthen the cooperation between Turkey and the African continent.
Turkey and Africa aim to raise their trade volume to 50 billion USD, diplomatic sources said. Turkey’s trade volume with Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to reach 6 billion USD this year. It was 742 million USD in 2000. Meanwhile, Turkey’s total trade volume with the continent of Africa has climbed to 14.1 billion USD from 9 billion USD between 2005 and 2010. It is expected to reach 50 billion USD in the near future. Moreover, Turkey will extend 1 million USD of assistance to African Union every year for economic and humanitarian projects.
After the conference the attendees of the Conference at Ciragan Palace had a group family photo taken. All the foreign affairs ministers in attendance with their families came and posed for a photograph in the palace garden of Ciragan Palace.
via Turkey Hosts African Foreign Ministers.