İSTANBUL (CİHAN)- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has directed veiled criticism at Africa`s Western colonizers and said Turkey
is not one of the countries that sees diamonds and gold when it looks
at the impoverished continent. “Contrary to others, we see our common
history, we see only friends and brothers when we look at Africa,”
Erdoğan said in an address to Gabon`s parliament on Monday. “We intended
to end for good the yearning, aloofness and distance between brothers.
... We are supporting Africa that is rising, and we are mobilizing every power we have for [delivering] humanitarian aid.”
Erdoğan,
joined by a delegation of more than 250 businessmen, visited Gabon as
the first stop on a tour of Africa that is set to include Niger and
Senegal. The visit is part of the government`s aspirations to widen its
economic and political influence in Africa, a continent widely neglected before Erdoğan`s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) first came to power a decade ago.
While in Gabon, Erdoğan also inaugurated the Turkish Embassy building in Libreville. Over the past three years alone, Turkey has opened 19 embassies across Africa. Turkey has embassies in 31 countries in Africa, 26 of which are sub-Saharan African countries, Erdoğan said, adding that the number will increase to 34 in the coming years.
The
prime minister said those who exploited Africa`s natural riches and
even its population in the form of slavery will sooner or later be held
accountable for what they did. “There is a very meaningful saying here
in Africa that when the flood comes,
fish eat the ants and when the flood recedes, ants eat the fish. No one
should rely on their current might and superiority because who eats whom
depends on the flow of water,” he said. “This ancient land, Africa,
where the humanity was born but was then massacred by the greedy, will
sooner or later rise again and lead humanity.” Erdoğan said Turkey is a country built on the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, which was the symbol of peaceful coexistence in Africa for centuries. “The Ottoman Empire
never acted on imperialist ambitions. It rejected outright imperialism.
It never interfered with the language, beliefs, culture or lifestyle of
any country and it never was like those who exploited the riches of
other countries.”
He also said Turkish contractors could well meet Gabon`s need for
housing, about 20,000 houses per year, and thus transform the face of Gabon.
The businessmen delegation accompanying Erdoğan included 175
entrepreneurs, whose companies have a combined annual revenue of $65
billion.”They are with us on this visit in particular because we want to
encourage them to invest in Gabon,” he said.
In Gabon,
Erdoğan met with President Ali Bongo Ondimba and his Gabonese
counterpart, Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima, and signed cooperation
agreements. Erdoğan began his visit to Niger on Tuesday.
In parallel with the government`s drive to reach out to Africa, the total amount of Turkish exports to Africa increased 31.4 percent in 2012 compared to figures for 2011, reaching $12.1 billion. Turkey`s market share in Africa
also rose to 8.7 percent from 7.5 percent in 2011. The greatest
contribution to this increase came from trade with North African
countries. Of the $12.1 billion in Turkish exports to Africa in 2012, $8.6 billion were to North African.
Turkish
influence in Africa has also expanded thanks to an increasing number of
Turkish schools in West Africa, strengthening the cultural bonds
between Turkey and the African continent. On Monday, a group of Gabonese students from a Turkish school in Gabon
sang the Turkish and Gabonese national anthems as the Turkish flag was
hoisted in front of the newly opened Turkish Embassy building.
In addition to stepping up economic relations, Turkey has developed very successful political relations with African countries over the last decade. As an influential soft power, Turkey mediated between the Sudanese government and the newly independent South Sudan in 2005 as well as between Ethiopia and Eritrea after a bloody war between the two came to an end in 2000. Located in the Gulf of Guinea, Gabon has extensive oil fields. Niger already exports oil to Turkey, albeit in small amounts. Niger is also an important source of uranium. Senegal, Erdoğan`s last stop on his African tour, plays a key role in maintaining the balance of political power in West Africa. Erdoğan`s visit will strengthen Turkey`s bonds with the country, an influential actor in its region.
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