Turkey-African Cooperation Summit Begins

(TPR)-- Hosted by President Abdullah Gul with the theme ‘Solidarity and Partnership For a Common Future’, the First Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit began yesterday in Istanbul.

On the first day of the summit, Gul held bilateral talks with his African counterparts and foreign ministers. Ahead of today’s general session, a preliminary meeting bringing together the foreign ministers of participating countries was convened by Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. Addressing the meeting, Babacan said, ‘If Turkey wins a non- permanent seat on the UN Security Council, this will do much to promote peace, security and stability all over the world’. Babacan also assured his African counterparts that if Turkey secures a seat on the council, it will serve as the voice of African countries there.

The Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and Turkish Unions of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) also held a Turkish-African business forum with many African businessmen. Addressing the forum, TOBB head Rifat Hisarciklioglu proposed establishing a Turkish-African Chamber of Commerce for a permanent partnership between the African and Turkish private sectors. He called on Turkish and African businessmen to strengthen commercial ties to help push Turkish-African trade ever upwards. Hisarciklioglu said in the face of soaring worldwide food prices, Turkey’s advanced agricultural techniques could be employed in the vast, rich vast African soil to help fight famine. He added that Turkish and African companies could cooperate in the processing and marketing of African minerals.

Also speaking at the meeting, State Minister for Foreign Trade Kursad Tuzmen said that the trade volume between Turkey and African countries has risen remarkably in recent years and reached $13 billion in 2007. Tuzmen predicted this could reach $50 billion by 2012. Stressing that the continent has a great potential, he also said that in the future it would be a shining star./Turkey-Star/

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