تركيا في افريقيا : تطبيق خطة العمل وتقييم بعد خمسة عشر عاما

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1 Report No: 124, July 2012 TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS* TÜRKİYE AFRİKA DA: EYLEM PLANININ UYGULANMASI VE DEĞERLENDİRME ON BEŞ YIL SONRA* LA TURQUIE EN AFRIQUE: UN BILAN DE LA MISE EN OEUVRE DU PLAN D ACTION QUINZE ANS APRES* تركيا في افريقيا : تطبيق خطة العمل وتقييم بعد خمسة عشر عاما ORTADOĞU Ortadoğu STRATEJİK Stratejik ARAŞTIRMALAR Araştırmalar MERKEZİ Merkezi CENTRE D ETUDES Center for STRATEGIQUES Mıddle Eastern SUR LE Strategıc MOYEN-ORIENT Studıes مركز الشرق األوسط للدراسات االستراتيجية

2 TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS* TÜRKİYE AFRİKA DA: EYLEM PLANININ UYGULANMASI VE DEĞERLENDİRME ON BEŞ YIL SONRA* LA TURQUIE EN AFRIQUE: UN BILAN DE LA MISE EN OEUVRE DU PLAN D ACTION QUINZE ANS APRES* تركيا في افريقيا : تطبيق خطة العمل وتقييم بعد خمسة عشر عاما Report No: 124 July 2012 ISBN: Ankara - TURKEY 2012 Content of this report is copyrighted to. Except reasonable and partial quotation and exploitation under the Act No. 5846, Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works, via proper citation, may not be used or re-published without prior permission by. Assessments expressed in this report reflect only the opinions of its authors and do not represent the instiutional opinion of.

3 center for mıddle eastern strategıc studıes Strategıc Informatıon Management and Indepentdent Thought Productıon History In Turkey, the shortage of research on the Middle East grew more conspicuous than ever during the early 90 s. Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies () was established in January 1, 2009 in order to provide relevant information to the general public and to the foreign policy community. The institute underwent an intensive structuring process, beginning to concentrate exclusively on Middle affairs. Outlook on the Middle Eastern World It is certain that the Middle East harbors a variety of interconnected problems. However, neither the Middle East nor its people ought to be stigmatized by images with negative connotations. Given the strength of their populations, Middle Eastern states possess the potential to activate their inner dynamics in order to begen peaceful mobilizations for development. Respect for people s willingness to live together, respect for the sovereign right of states and respect for basic human rights and individual freedoms are the prerequisities for assuring peace and tranquility, both domesticalhly and internationally. In this context, Turkey must continue to make constructive contributions to the establishment of regional stability and prosperity in its vicinity. s Think-Tank Research, provides the general public and decision-making organizations with enlightening information about international politics in order to promote a healtier understanding of international policy issues and to help them to adopt appropriate positions. In order to present effective solutions, supports high quality research by intellectuals and researchers that are competent in a variety of disciplines. s strong publishing capacity türansmits meticulous analyses of regional developments and trends to the interested parties. With its web site, its books, reports, and periodicals, supports the development of Middle Eastern literature on a national and international scale. supports the development of Middle Eastern literature on a national and international scala. facilitates the sharing of knowledge and ideas with the Turkish and international communities by inviting statesmen, bureaucrats, academics, strategicts, businessmen, journalists, and NGO representatives to Turkey. * is a member of the The Middle East Studies Association (MESA).

4 AMBASSADOR (R) NUMAN HAZAR Born in 1945 in Tarsus, Turkey. Graduated in 1966 from the Diplomatic Section of the Faculty of Political Science, Ankara University. Entered in 1967 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Served in various diplomatic posts abroad: Second Secretary in Ottawa, Canada; First Secretary, in Nicosia,Cyprus; Counselor and First Counselor, in Washington,D.C., USA for two terms (seven years) ; Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, India; Minister-Counselor, in Bonn,Germany; In Ankara, he served at the Office of the President of the Turkish Republic as well as Policy Planning, Cultural Affairs, Council of Europe Departments, Director General for Africa, East Asia and Pacific/Islamic Conference Organization (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). He was Ambassador to Lagos, Nigeria, Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and later to UNESCO in Paris. He served as Ambassador/Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister of National Defense and later as Acting Chairman of the Inspection Board of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retired in Appointed by Turkey in 2011 as Turkish Member for the Economic Cooperation Organization s ( ECO ) Eminent Persons Group (EPG) in charge of restructuring the Organization with 10 member States ( İran, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and elected as Chairman of the EPG. He is the author of two books in Turkish on Turkish- African Relations, International Politics and Civilizations, as well as various printed articles in Turkish, English, French and German on different international issues. He speaks French, German and English

5 PRESENTATION Throughout history, Africa had been the invasion area of colonialists due to its location and natural resources. Following geographical discoveries and industrial revolution, the continent was considered as a manpower and raw material resource for Europe. The Ottoman Empire might be considered as an African State due to its having spread on a large geography. The Ottoman State had many provinces in Africa. The presence of the Ottoman Empire in North and South Africa kept European colonialism away from these regions. The Turkish war of independence set example especially for North Africa. Following the World War II, Turkey opened embassies in Africa and became one of the countries first recognizing and supporting the African countries which gained their independence. This historical background is the reason why African countries consider Turkey close and establish good relationships with Turkey. The Turkey-Africa relations have come a long way in recent years. The adoption of the Africa Action Plan in 1998 launched a new period for Turkey s outlook on Africa. In order to develop its political, economic and cultural relations with Africa, Turkey aimed at advancing its relations with African countries as a whole; technical and scientific cooperation, and signing agreements that envisage partnership in commercial and economic projects within the scope of Action Plan. The aforesaid Plan was reinforced as the Turkish Under-secretariat of Foreign Trade prepared the Strategy for Development of Economic Relations with Africa in early 2003 and as new commercial counselors offices were opened in African countries was declared as the year of Africa in Turkey, and the African Union declared Turkey as a strategic partner. In 2008, on the other hand, Turkey was accepted as a extra-regional member of the African Development Bank. The State Planning Organization and the Turkish Agency for Cooperation and Development (TİKA) assumed an important role in African opening. The Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits in this process also show the importance Turkey attaches to its relations with Africa. The Retired Ambassador Numan Hazar s report entitled, Turkey in Africa: Implementation of the Action Plan and Evaluation after Fifteen Years extensively analyzes the recent period. The report deals with the activities carried out to develop economic, cultural and commercial relations in Turkey-Africa relations in the recent period. The analysis can be read as a meticulous statistical list of political, diplomatic and commercial attempts that have been made for the last fifteen years. Furthermore, we would like to extend our thanks to Ms Hélène Longpré from the Secretariat of UNESCO in Paris for her contributions in editing the text. You will find important information, statements and evaluations in the report which enables us to understand the importance of the strides made during this period of time. We present this report with the hope that it will contribute to studies to be carried out on Turkey-Africa relations to your interest. Hasan Kanbolat Director

6 Report No: 124, July 2012 By: Numan HAZAR Ambassador (R) TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS* In the recent years, Turkey has increased her efforts to develop relations with African countries in every field. Within this framework, Turkey had in the past, from time to time, more or less intense attempts to develop her relations with African countries. When Turkey faced difficulties on Cyprus issue at the United Nations; delegations or special representatives were sent to African countries. In certain cases, similarly specials emissaries were sent to African countries in order to explore opportunities for economic and commercial cooperation. However, a comprehensive and global plan involving Turkey s relations with Africa in all aspects could not be considered. It was in 1998 that Turkey decided to develop her relations with the African Continent as a whole without any distinction by devising an Action Plan. The main idea steering Turkish officials to make an action plan stemmed from the determination that the relations between Turkey and African continent did not seem satisfactory considering the current great potential. It was necessary to develop relations with the African continent to a large extent. The idea of Action Plan developed in 1998 as a result of various consultations carried out within the context of a series of meetings, in which Government officials, Turkish Ambassadors in Africa, representatives of private sector, and honorary consuls of African countries participated. In the light of consultations and views expressed in these meetings, Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepared an Action Plan in order to develop the relations between the African Continent and Turkey in every possible area. But why? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to emphasize certain points related to the aforesaid policy of Turkey. Turkey s relations with African countries could not reach a desired level in political, economic, commercial and cultural areas. On the one hand, the relations were not in proportion to the dimensions of a country like Turkey with developed and considerable economic and commercial growth. On the other hand, due to the lack of well established sufficient diplomatic relations, in most cases, Turkey had relations with African countries only within the international organizations such as the United Nations Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Besides, economic, commercial and cultural relations 5 Report No: 124, July 2012

7 could not have reached its full potential. Turkey did not know problems and challenges of Africa. On the other hand, Africans did not have a positive understanding on diplomatic issues about Turkey, with the impact of common ideas. Turkey, however, had certain advantages on developing and maintaining special relations with all the African countries: * Turkey did not have a colonial past in Africa. The Ottoman Empire was actually an African State having various provinces in Africa, and it had a very good relationship with African peoples as well as with neighboring states. It was not a colonial state, and represented a peace system, pax ottomanica like pax romana of the Roman Empire that all nations had their religious freedoms by preserving their national identities. The Ottoman Empire prevented colonial expansion of Spain in North Africa. Therefore, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya owe their national identities to Turks. Similarly, the Ottoman Empire played a major role in preventing the penetration of Portuguese colonialism in East Africa. * The Ottoman Empire, an African state, included the following African provinces: Algeria, Tunisia, Tripolitania (Libya), Egypt, Province of Abyssinia (including Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, the Harar region in modern Ethiopia and coastline of Red Sea in modern Sudan) and Sudan itself. Certain parts of Niger, Chad and Uganda were also situated within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. * The Ottoman Empire had friendly relations with Zanzibar, South Africa and had alliance with Kanem Bornu Empire prevailing in major parts of Sahara in the past. * Although not many, there are Turkish citizens of African origin living in Turkey. * There is a sympathy in African countries towards Turkey. African Muslims positively regard the friendship with Turkey due to their religious common grounds. In addition to this, Christian populations of Africa feel admiration for the reforms and secular system of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. But as a whole, Africa feels a particular admiration for Turkey s war of independence considered as the first national liberation war of our era, and also for the reforms developed under the leadership of Atatürk, who set a good example for leaders of certain African countries during early periods of national independence. It is possible to see the traces of Kemalism in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Democratic Republic of the Congo. * Lastly, it is necessary to add the fact that the Ottoman Empire itself was subjected to disintegration and colonization threats by industrialized European powers. * Turkey has always attached importance to develop her relations with African countries. Turkey opened an Embassy in Ethiopia in 1926, a couple of years after the declaration of Turkish Republic. It should be kept in mind that there were, at that time, only a few independent countries in Africa. With the beginning of the process of decolonization, Turkey recognized the independence of all African 6 Report No: 124, July 2012

8 TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS States and opened embassies in a number of countries. * Despite the fact that Ottoman Empire took part in Berlin Conference (November 1884-February 1885), where a General Act that was effective in disintegration of Africa until 1914 was declared, the Ottoman Empire was, in principle, against the partitioning of Africa by European powers. The first principle underlined during the Conference was the hinterland principle. Each country settled on a coastline had rights in the hinterland until the borders of neighboring power, but hinterland could not be annexed without a real occupation, and other signatories were supposed to get informed about all kind of occupation or agreements concluded with indigenous peoples. The views of the Ottoman Empire did not correspond to views of European States, France in particular; and conflicted with France on the Ottoman province of Tripolitania. Because the Ottoman Empire had a good relationship with indigenous peoples of the area, including Tuaregs, who controlled the historical trade route between Sahara and Mediterranean ports of the Empire. * On the other hand, Africans believe that Turkey, which has made major economic, political and social progress and is a developing country, could be a better model for all African countries than others. In other words, Africans will be able to benefit from the experiences of Turkey. * Turkey took part in peacekeeping operations, carried out by international community with the initiatives of the United Nations or other organizations, in Somalia, Sudan (Darfur and South Sudan), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Côte d Ivoire. * Lastly, it is undeniable that Turkey needs the friendship of Africans and the strong economic and commercial relations with the whole Continent. These aforesaid elements are very positive points that could be considered as an opportunity to strengthen the Turkish-African relations. Before doing a balance sheet on what has been done between Turkey and Africa since the enforcement of Turkey s Action Plan for Opening up to Africa accepted in 1998, it is necessary to take a look at the points envisaged and suggested in the aforesaid Action Plan. 7 Report No: 124, July 2012

9 It is also envisaged to increase the number of Turkish Embassies in Africa, which fell from 15 to 12, in order to promote diplomatic presence of Turkey in African Continent within the scope of Action Plan First, it was decided to open three new Embassies in Africa. It was also envisaged to open honorary consulates in certain capitals of Africa, as it was not possible to open embassies due to financial reasons. Certain administrative measures were also prescribed for the staff of embassies. In general terms, the Action Plan envisaged promoting the relations between Turkey and the African Continent in every field. Cooperation in the fields of education and defense as well as various fields, and measures proposed for economic, commercial and cultural relations were thought to form a strong basis for creating a mutual understanding on diplomatic issues and for establishing political relations. The political measures of the Action Plan involves the following propositions: Realization of high-level visits from African countries (Presidents, Prime Ministers and Ministers of Foreign Affairs), Establishment of political consultation mechanisms at Foreign Ministry level, Intensification of contacts with African countries within the international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation etc. Mutual inter-parliamentary visits, Sending official delegations to various African countries, Realization of humanitarian assistance Contributions to various UN technical assistance programs Other measures proposed by the Action Plan in order to promote economic relations with African countries are as follows: Conclusion of Agreements of Trade, Technical, Economic and Scientific Cooperation, Prevention of Double Taxation and Mutual Promotion and Protection of Investments in order to complete the legal framework of economic and trade relations, Invitation of technical Ministers from Africa such as Ministers of Trade, Industry, Health, Agriculture and Education, Invitation of experts to short term training programs in technical fields, Organization of technical assistance programs for African countries, Realization of Turkey s membership in African Development Bank as a non-regional donor country. Realization of Turkey s membership as shareholder in the African Exports and Imports Bank (Afreximbank). Exchange of visits by businessmen Creation of Joint Business Councils or Chambers of Commerce by encouraging contacts among private sectors In the Action Plan, educational and cultural measures were also proposed, and the num- 8 Report No: 124, July 2012

10 TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS ber of scholarships granted for Africans were increased. Besides, the necessity of making Turkish scholarships more attractive was underlined. It was proposed to sign cultural agreements or to make cultural exchange programs with African countries to develop cultural relations. In this context, cooperation and interaction between universities was encouraged and promoted. The necessity of attaching a particular importance to information activities to introduce Africa to Turkish public opinion and Turkey in Africa was highlighted. In this context, it was planned for non-governmental organizations such as Foreign Policy Institute and Strategic Research Centers to invite academicians to seminars and conferences held in Turkey. Besides, it was also proposed to establish African Studies Center within the aforesaid organizations. In this context, it was decided that the exchange of academicians forms a basis to study economic, social and political issues of Africa, as well as the exchange of experts and researchers. Cooperation in the field of defense industry, promotion of air links and maritime transportation, and intensification of contacts among academic circles was also proposed. Great energy was expended on putting the Action Plan into implementation after it was approved at political level. High level visits (heads of state, ministers) as well as visits by high-ranking officials were made in the context of the action plan. In the course of time, advances have been observed in Turkish-African relations. In 2003, Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade prepared a document entitled, Strategy for Development of Economic Relations with Africa. In addition to this, in 2005, Turkish Government declared 2005 as African year. Within this framework, reciprocal high-level visits were made to sign economic and commercial agreements. Besides, bilateral economic and political mechanisms were created in order to complete the legal basis, and mutual visits of commercial delegates were encouraged. Thus, Turkey s relations with African Continent gained a momentum as well as a considerable content. The importance of Turkish Policy of opening up to Africa stems from the fact that Turkey considered as a humanitarian duty not standing idle by problems such as underdevelopment, natural disasters and domestic political crisis that Africa faces. Turkey gained observer status in the African Union on 12 April The Ambassador of Turkey to Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, was accredited to the African Union. Furthermore, during the 10 th African Union Summit, which took place in Addis Ababa on January 2008, Turkey was confirmed as a strategic partner for the continent. A more important stage in the history of Turkey-Africa relations was the official confirmation of cooperation between Turkey and Africa during the Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit held in Istanbul between August In this summit, The Istanbul Declaration on Turkey-Africa Partnership: Cooperation and Solidarity for a Common 9 Report No: 124, July 2012

11 Future and Cooperation Framework for Turkey-Africa Partnership were unanimously accepted. 49 countries participated in this summit: 6 Presidents, 5 Vice-Presidents, 7 Prime Ministers, 1 Deputy Prime Minister, 14 Foreign Ministers, 12 Ministers, 11 international and regional organization representatives including the African Union. In this summit, which is a certain milestone in terms of establishing a permanent cooperation mechanism between Turkey and Africa, the primary cooperation fields were determined as follows: Inter-governmental cooperation, trade and investment, agriculture, agricultural trade, rural development, water resources management, small and medium sized enterprises, health, peace and security, infrastructure (transportation and telecommunication), media, information and information technology, environment. Also a follow-up mechanism was established in accordance with the provisions of the Cooperation Framework for Turkey-Africa Partnership, in order to follow the implementation of decisions taken in the summit. It was decided to hold a Senior Officials Meeting in the second year after the summit, Ministerial Review Conference in the third year, and Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit in an African country in the fifth year Turkey-Africa Partnership Joint Implementation Plan, adopted in the summit and prepared in line with the cooperation fields, was adopted in first Senior Officials Meeting carried out in Turkey on 15 December On the other hand, the Ministerial Review Conference of Turkey-Africa Partnership was held in Istanbul on 16 December 2011, in order to assess the cooperation process and prepare the following meeting of the Summit. Turkey has also developed her relations with African Regional Organizations. Turkish Embassy to Abuja (Nigeria) was accredited to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Turkey became a member of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) International Partners Forum in Turkish Embassy in Darussalam (Tanzania) was accredited before East African Community (EAC) in It was also proposed to accredit Turkish Embassy in Lusaka (Zambia) to the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Turkey became the member of African Development Bank and African Development Fund during the Meeting of the Board of Governors held on May Thus, Turkey became the 25 th non-regional member of the Bank. The Strategy Paper including the principles of Turkey s African policy, which was prepared at the end of exchange of views made with competent authorities and concerned organizations, was published as Prime Ministry Circular. In accordance with this circular, an «African Strategy Coordination Committee» was created under the supervision of Foreign Ministry. Moreover, Turkey has also attached great importance to development of bilateral re- 10 Report No: 124, July 2012

12 TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS lations and to rapprochement with African countries. In this context, great efforts have been made to complete the legal framework of economic, commercial and cultural relations through establishing new diplomatic missions in African countries, paying mutual visits, having contacts at all levels, creating cooperation mechanisms and signing necessary agreements. Humanitarian aid programs and assistance programs aiming at economic development have been prepared. On the other hand, efforts have been made to promote cultural relations and also to increase contributions in the field of education. The friendship groups between the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the parliaments of the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa such as Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, Tanzania, contribute to development of bilateral relations. Turkey decided to increase the number of her missions in Africa. Turkey had 15 Embassies in African countries; three of those (Accra/ Ghana, Mogadishu/Somalia and Darussalam/ Tanzania) had been closed due to economic or security reasons. Therefore, there were until recently 12 Turkish Embassies in Africa (Rabat/Morocco, Algiers/Algeria, Tunis/Tunisia, Tripoli/Libya, Cairo/Egypt, Khartoum/ Sudan, Dakar/Senegal, Abuja/Nigeria, Kinshasa/Democratic Republic of the Congo, Addis Ababa/Ethiopia, Pretoria/South Africa and Nairobi/Kenya). Turkish embassies opened in recent years are listed as follows: 2009: Darussalam/Tanzania, Abidjan/Côte d Ivoire (Ivory Coast). 2010: Yaounde/Cameroon., Bamako/Mali, Accra/Ghana, Kampala/Uganda, Luanda/Angola, Antananarivo/Madagascar, 2011: Lusaka/Zambia, Maputo/Mozambique, Nouakchott/Mauritania. Harare/Zimbabwe, Mogadishu/Somali, Banjul/Gambia, Juba/South Sudan, 2012: Niamey/Niger, Windhoek/Namibia, Ouagadougou/Burkina Faso, Libreville/Gabon. So that, the number of Turkish Embassies in Africa reached 31. Ambassadors have not yet been appointed to Turkish Embassies in Republic of Guinea and Republic of Chad, which were decided to be opened. It was decided to open a Turkish Embassy in Djibouti in the current year. The number of Turkish Embassies in Africa will have been 34 by the end of In the light of developing relations, there are currently embassies of 11 Sub-Saharan African countries to Ankara. (Ethiopia, Gambia, Republic of South Africa, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Angola). Some of the African countries have recently decided to open embassy in Ankara: Kenya, Cameroon, Guinea, Madagascar, Ghana, Gabon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ruanda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, South Sudan, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone. It is necessary to add that North African countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt) always have had their embassies in Turkey. On that occasion, it should be underlined that Turkey s African policy has always been supported at the top level. No doubt that such an important strategic success related to Turkey s foreign policy could not be achieved without the supports of President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 11 Report No: 124, July 2012

13 In recent years, reciprocal high-level visits have been made between Turkey and African countries. President Abdullah Gül paid visits to various African countries {Ghana and Gabon (2011), Kenya and Tanzania (2009), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria (2010)}. Prime Minister Erdoğan paid visits to Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and South Africa. On the other hand, African Heads of State also visited Turkey: Nigeria, Chad, Djibouti, Somali, Mauritania, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. During the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries held in İstanbul on 9-13 May 2011, President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had talks with their counterparts. It is necessary to state that there were very limited high-level contacts between Turkey and Sub-Saharan African countries in the past, except for President Cevdet Sunay s visit to Ethiopia several decades ago, and Prime Minister Necmeddin Erbakan s visit to Nigeria. Of course, it is necessary to say that Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt are the exceptions. Because there has always been mutual contacts with the aforesaid countries at every level. In the recent past, it was observed that reciprocal visits of Turkish and African ministers or senior officials with each others increased. As mentioned above, Turkey has contributed to peacekeeping operations in many African countries. In the context of Turkey s policy to contribute to peace, stability and development in Africa; Egypt and Turkey co-chaired the International Donors Conference for the Development and Reconstruction of Darfur that was held in Cairo in During the Conference, Turkey announced a pledge of 70 million US Dollars of assistance mainly in health, agriculture and education sectors between 2010 and On the other hand, Turkey hosted in Istanbul the Somalia Conference organized within the UN framework in And the second conference will be carried out in Istanbul later this year. Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) has been working on to carry out cooperation and technical assistance projects in different fields for African Continent. TİKA has opened three Regional Offices to provide coordination for the programs in Africa namely, in Addis Ababa (2005), Dakar (2007) and Nairobi (2012). A Regional Office in Cairo is envisaged to be opened soon as well. Besides, Liaison Offices were opened in Tripoli and Mogadishu in TİKA has carried out projects in 37 countries so far. Development assistance Turkey provided in cooperation with governmental and non-governmental organizations reached 97 million US dollars in 2009, while it reached 102 million US dollars in Turkey s national airlines company the Turkish Airlines opened new lines in Africa to overcome transportation and air transport problems between Turkey and Africa. The new flights launched by the Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to various destinations in Africa are listed as follows: Khartoum, Addis Ababa, Lagos (2006), Johannesburg and Cape Town (2007), Nairobi and Dakar (2009), Darussalam, Entebbe and Accra (2010), Mogadishu (2012). It should also be indicated that Turkish Airlines has always had flights between Turkey and Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. In educational field, Turkey has granted 3254 scholarships for Africans since of these scholarships have been used. The number of scholarships granted for African countries in the academic year of has been 425. According to the statistics of Ministry of National Education, there are 589 African grantees in Turkey. In addition to this, Presidency of Religious Affairs has granted 12 Report No: 124, July 2012

14 TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS 116 scholarships for the education of clergies in Turkish schools. On the other hand, it is necessary to indicate that Turkey s trade with the African Continent has been on the rise in recent years. The trade volume with Sub-Saharan countries was 742 million US dollars in 2000; 3 billion US dollars in 2005; and 5,5 billion US dollars in On the other hand, the global economic crisis has negatively affected Turkey s trade with the Sub-Saharan countries. As a matter of fact, its trade volume reached 4.88 billion US dollars in 2009; 4 billion US dollars in 2010; and 7.5 billion US dollars in The figures related to Turkey s foreign trade volume with the whole African Continent are: 9 billion dollars in 2005; 15,87 billion dollars in 2009; 14,1 billion dollars in 2010; and 17,1 billion dollars in There are also Turkish contractors working in African countries. Turkish contractors assumed projects in 89 countries across the world between the years 1972 and % of these projects (39 billion dollars) were carried out in Africa. 19 % of the projects were carried out in North Africa, while 2 % (3.7 billion dollars) of them were carried out in Sub- Saharan Africa. As an overall assessment, it could be asserted that Turkish Policy of opening up to Africa has been successful. As a matter of fact, in the last fifteen years, Turkey s relations with all African countries have been developed. In this context, let us mention the two important dates: In 1998, Turkey prepared a comprehensive Action Plan in a global and planned approach in order to open up to Africa; in 2005, on the other hand, Turkish Government declared 2005 as the African year and Turkey increased her efforts to develop and intensify her relations with all African countries and African organizations. The positive outcome of this policy was seen when African countries voted for Turkey s non-permanent membership in period at the United Nations Security Council. Of course, the friendly relations and close cooperation between Turkey and Africa will not only be for the benefit of all the concerned parties, but this state of affairs will also contribute to regional and international peace and stability. In conclusion, we can say that African policy could be considered as a real success of the Turkish foreign policy. *The original article is in French. It was translated into English and Turkish by. 13 Report No: 124, July 2012

15 REFERENCES Africa A-Z Continental and Country Profiles, Africa Institute of South Africa, Pretoria, Afrika ya Açılım Eylem Planı, T:C: Dışişleri Bakanlığı, II.Basım Ağustos, Ansprenger, Franz, Politische Geschichte Afrikas im 20. Jahrhundert, Beck, München, Berthélemy, Jean-Claude ve Söderling, Ludwig, L Afrique Emergente, OCDE Etude de Centre du Développement, Paris Çaycı, Abdurrahman, Büyük Sahra da Türk-Fransız Rekabeti ( ), Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, Ankara Ferro, Marc, Le livre noir du Colonialisme, Hachette Littératures, Paris, Girardet, Raoul, L Idée Coloniale en France, Hachette Littératures, Paris Gourévitch, Jean-Paul, La France en Afrique, Acropole, Paris Hazar, Numan, Turkey s Opening-up to Africa, ASAM Perspective, Center for Eurasian Studies, Ankara, August Hazar, Numan, Turkish Policy of Opening Up to Africa, Center for Strategic Studies, Khartum, Hazar, Numan, La Politique d Ouverture de la Turquie vers le Continent Africain, Université de Yaoundé II, Institut des Relations Internationales, Yaoundé Hazar, Numan, Küreselleşme Sürecinde Afrika ve Türkiye-Afrika İlişkileri, Uluslararası Stratejik Araştırma Kurumu (USAK), Ankara Histoire Générale de l Afrique, Volume IV, l Afrique de XIe au XVIe Siècle, et Tome V, l Afrique de XVIe au XVIIIe Siècle, Paris: Présence Africaine /Edicef/UNESCO, Holt, P.M., A Modern History of the Sudan, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London Iliffe, John, Les Africains, Histoire d un Continent, Flammarion, Paris, Jolly, Jean, Histoire du Continent Africain, Tome 2, Harmattan, Paris Kaddache, Mahmoud, L!Algérie durant la Période Ottomane, Office des Publications Universitaires, Alger Karpat, Kemal H., The Politicization of Islam, Oxford University Press, Newyork Kavas, Ahmet, Osmanlı- Afrika İlişkileri, Kitabevi, İstanbul Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: Histoire de l Afrique Noire, Librairie A. Hatier, Manceron, Gilles, Marianne et ses Colonies, Editions la Découverte, Paris Michler, Walter, Afrika Wege in die Zukunft, Horlemann, Unkel/Rhein, Orhonlu, Cengiz, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nun Güney Siyaseti: Habeş Eyaleti, Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, Ankara Topuz, Hıfzı, Kara Afrika, Milliyet Yayınları, İstanbul Wesseling, Henri, Le Partage de l Afrique, Editions Denoël, Paris Ziegler, Jean, Main Basse sur l Afrique, Editions du Seuil, Paris Report No: 124, July 2012

16 TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS AKADEMİC STAFF Hasan Kanbolat Prof. Dr. Hayati Aktaş Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar Assoc.Prof.Dr. Tarık Oğuzlu Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harun Öztürkler Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şahin Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür Habib Hürmüzlü Asst. Prof. Dr. Serhat Erkmen Asst. Prof. Dr. Canat Mominkulov Dr. Abdullah Alshamri Dr. Neslihan Kevser Çevik Elmira Cheremisova Dr. Didem Danış Dr. Jale Nur Ece Doç. Dr. İlyas Kemaloğlu (Kamalov) Dr. Yaşar Sarı Dr. Bayram Sinkaya Dr. Süreyya Yiğit Att. Aslıhan Erbaş Açıkel Pınar Arıkan Fazıl Ahmet Burget Volkan Çakır Bilgay Duman Noyan Gürel Selen Tonkuş Kareem Oytun Orhan Sercan Doğan Nebahat Tanriverdi Uğur Çil Leyla Melike Koçgündüz Ufuk Döngel Göknil Erbaş Aslı Değirmenci Jubjana Vila Mavjuda Akramova Director Trabzon Represantative, KTU Department of International Relations Advisor, Eurasian Strategies Coordinator - Bilkent University Advisor, Middle East - Antalya International University Advisor, Middle East Economies - Afyon Kocatepe University, Department of Economics Advisor, Middle East - Gazi University, Department of IR Advisor, Middle East - METU, Department of IR Advisor, Middle East Advisor, Middle East - Ahi Evran University, Department of IR Researcher, Eurasia, Al Farabi Kazakh National University Advisor, Middle East - Riyadh Represantative Advisor, Middle East Advisor, Middle East - St. Petersburg University Advisor, Middle East - Galatasaray University, Department of Sociology Advisor, Maritime Safety and Security Advisor, Eurasia Advisor, Eurasia - Bishkek Represantative, Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University Advisor, Middle East - Yıldırım Beyazıt University Department of International Relations Advisor, Eurasia Advisor, Energy - Maritime Law Advisor, Middle East - METU Department of International Relations Advisor, Middle East - Afghanistan Advisor, Africa - Antananarivo (Madagascar) Representative Researcher, Middle East İzmir Represatative Erbil (Iraq) Represantative Researcher, Middle East Research Assistant, Middle East Research Assistant, Middle East, Middle East, Middle East & Projects, Ortadoğu, Black Sea, Middle East, Middle East, Middle East Water Research Programme Dr. Tuğba Evrim Maden Dr. Seyfi Kılıç Kamil Erdem Güler Çağlayan Arslan Water Research Programme Hydropolitics Researcher Water Research Programme Hydropolitics Researcher Water Research Programme Water Research Programme ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Ismet Abdulmecid Prof. Dr. Hayati Aktaş Prof. Dr. Ramazan Daurov Dr. Abdullah Alshamri Prof. Dr. Vitaly Naumkin Hasan Alsancak Prof. Dr. Meliha Benli Altunışık Prof. Dr. Ahat Andican Prof. Dorayd A. Noori Former President of Iraqi Council of State Karadeniz Technical University, Head of Department of International Relations Assistant Director, Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies Advisor, Middle East - Riyadh Represantative Director, Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies BP & BTC Turkey, Energy Security Director METU, Director of Institute of Social Sciences Former Minister & Istanbul University Vice-Undersecretary in Iraq s Embassy in Ankara 15 Report No: 124, July 2012

17 Prof. Dr. Tayyar Arı Prof. Dr. Ali Arslan Dr. Farhan Ahmad Nizami Başar Ay Prof. Aftab Kamal Pasha Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın Ambassador Shaban Murati Dr. Ersel Aydınlı Safarov Sayfullo Sadullaevich Mohamed Noureddine Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı Itır Bağdadi Prof. Dr. İdris Bal Assist. Prof. Dr. Ersan Başar Kemal Beyatlı Yaşar Yakış Barbaros Binicioğlu Prof. Dr. Ali Birinci Patrick Seale Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Budak Dr. Hasan Canpolat Ret. (Air) Gen. Ergin Celasin Dr. Sami Al Taqi Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mitat Çelikpala Çetiner Çetin Prof. Dr. Gökhan Çetinsaya Dr. Didem Danış Prof. Dr. Volkan Ediger Prof. Dr. Cezmi Eraslan Prof. Dr. Çağrı Erhan Asst. Prof. Dr. Serhat Erkmen Dr. Amer Hasan Fayyadh Att. Aslıhan Erbaş Açıkel Cevat Gök Mete Göknel Osman Göksel Timur Göksel Prof. Muhamad Al Hamdani Numan Hazar Habib Hürmüzlü Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar İpek Dr. Tuğrul İsmail Dr. İlyas Kamalov Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar Assoc.Prof.Dr. Şenol Kantarcı Selçuk Karaçay Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Karacasulu İsmet Karalar Prof.Dr. M. Lütfullah Karaman Asst.Prof. Dr. Şaban Kardaş Att. Tuncay Kılıç Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elif Hatun Kılıçbeyli Prof. Dr. Aleksandr Knyazev Prof. Dr. Erol Kurubaş Prof. Dr. Talip Küçükcan Arslan Kaya Dr. Hicran Kazancı İzzettin Kerküklü Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kibaroğlu Uludağ University, Head of Department of International Relations Istanbul University, Department of History The Director of Centre for İslamic Studies at Oxford University General Secretary, Turkish Textile Employers Association The Director of The Centre for West Asian Studies in India President of Kadir Has University Albanian Institute for International Studies Vice-President of Bilkent University, Fulbright Executive Director Strategic Research Center Under The President of Tajikistan Specialist in Turkish Affairs, Prof. at Lebanese University - History METU, Head of Department of International Relations İzmir Economy University, Department of International Relations and European Union Member of Parliament in the 24 th Legislative Term of Grand National Assembly of Turkey Karadeniz Techinical University, Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering Head of Iraqi Turkman Press Council Ambassador, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Advisor, Middle Eastern Economies Polis Akademisi Well-Known Middle East and Syria Specialist Deputy Director General in Prime Ministerial State Archives Deputy Undersecretary of Turkish Ministry of Interior 23 rd Commander of Air Forces General Manager of Orient Research Center Kadir Has University, Head of Deparment of International Relations Journalist (Irak) President of The Council of Higher Education Advisor, Immigration Studies & Iraqi Refugees, Galatasary University, Department of Sociology İzmir Economy University, Department of Economics President of Atatürk Research Center, Istanbul University, Department of History Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science, Department of IR & Director ATAUM Middle East Advisor, Ahi Evran University, Head of the Department of International Relations Baghdad University, Dean of Political Sciences Faculty (Iraq) Advisor, Energy - Maritime Law Manager of Iraq El FIRAT TV - Turkey Former Director of Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) BTC & NABUCCO Coordinator Beirut American University (Lebanon) Cultural Undersecretary in Iraq s Embassy in Ankara Retired Ambassador Middle East Advisor Bilkent University, Department of International Relations TOBB University of Economics & Technology, Department of International Relations Eurasia Advisor Bilkent University, Department of International Relations Kırıkkale University, Department of International Relations Deputy Director, Vodafone (Turkey) Dokuz Eylül University, Department of International Relations Advisor to Mayor of Edremit/Balıkesir Fatih University, Head of the Department of International Relations TOBB Economy and Technology University, Department of International Relations Mayor of Edremit/Balıkesir Çukurova University, Head of the Department of International Relations Kyrgyz Slavic University (Bishkek) Kırıkkale University, Head of the Department of International Relations Director of Marmara University, Institute of Middle East Studies KPMG, Sworn-in Certified Financial Accountant Iraqi Turkman Front Turkey Representative President of Kirkuk Foundation Okan University, Head of Department of International Relations 16 Report No: 124, July 2012

18 TURKEY IN AFRICA: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN AND AN EVALUATION AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS Prof. Dr. Alexandr Koleşnikov Diplomat Dr. Max Georg Meier Hanns Seidel Foundation, Projects Director (Bishkek) Prof.Dr. Mosa Aziz Al-Mosawa President of Baghdad University (Iraq) Prof. Dr. Mahir Nakip Erciyes University, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences Assoc.Prof.Dr. Tarık Oğuzlu Advisor,Middle East-Antalya International University Prof.Dr. Çınar Özen Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science, Department of International Relations Murat Özçelik Undersecretary of Public Order and Security Assoc. Prof. Harun Öztürkler Middle East Economies Advisor, Afyon Kocatepe University, Department of Economics Dr. Bahadır Pehlivantürk TOBB Economy and Technology University, Department of International Relations Prof. Dr. Victor Panin Pyatigorsk University (Pyatigorsk, Russian Federation) Assoc.Prof.Dr. Fırat Purtaş Gazi University Department of International Relations, Deputy Secretary General of TÜRKSOY Prof. Suphi Saatçi Secretary - General of Kirkuk Foundation Dr. Yaşar Sarı Advisor, Eurasia - Bishkek Represantative, Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University Ersan Sarıkaya Türkmeneli TV (Kirkuk, Iraq) Dr. Bayram Sinkaya Middle East Advisor, Atatürk University Assoc.Prof.Dr. İbrahim Sirkeci Reader in Demography and Marketing Regent s College, (London, UK) Dr. Aleksandr Sotnichenko St. Petersburg University (Russian Federation) Zaher Sultan President of Lebanon Turkish Association Dr. Irina Svistunova Russia Strategic Research Center, Turkey-Middle East Studies Expert (Russian Federation) Asst. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şahin Advisor, Middle East, Gazi University, Department of International Relations Prof. Dr. Türel Yılmaz Şahin Gazi University, Department of International Relations Mehmet Şüküroğlu Energy Expert Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oktay Tanrısever METU, Department of International Relations Prof. Erol Taymaz Vice President of the METU North Cyprus Campus (TRNC) Prof. Sabri Tekir Dean of İzmir University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Dr. Gönül Tol Director of Middle East Institute Turkish Studies (USA) Asst. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür Advisor, Middle East, METU, Department of International Relations M. Ragıp Vural General Coordinator of 2023 (Magazine) Dr. Ermanno Visintainer Director of Vox Populi (Rome,Italy) Dr. Umut Uzer Istanbul Technical University, Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Vatanyar Yagya St. Petersburg City Council Member, St. Petersburg University (Russian Federation) Dr. Süreyya Yiğit Eurasia Advisor EDITIORIAL BOARD OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES Meliha Altunışık Middle East Technical University (Turkey) Bülent Aras Ministry of Turkish Foreign Affairs, Head of Center for Strategic Strategic Research Tayyar Arı Uludağ University (Turkey) İlker Aytürk Bilkent University (Turkey) Recep Boztemur Middle East Technical University (Turkey) Katerina Dalacoura London School of Economics (UK) F. Gregory Gause Vermont University (USA) Fawaz Gerges London School of Economics (UK) Ahmet K. Han Kadir Has University (Turkey) Raymond Hinnebusch St. Andrews University (UK) Rosemary Holiis City University (UK) Bahgat Korany Durham University (UK) Peter Mandaville George Mason University (USA) Emma Murphy Durham University (UK) MIDDLE EAST ANALYSIS EDITORIAL BOARD Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Hasan Kanbolat Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar Asst. Prof. Dr. Serhat Erkmen Middle East Technical University, Director of Institute of Social Sciences Director Bilkent University, Department of International Relations Middle East Advisor, Ahi Evran University, Head of Department of International Relations 17 Report No: 124, July 2012

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