Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed the Third Ministerial Review Conference of the Turkey-Africa Partnership in the West African country of Djibouti on Sunday, the second day of his visit to the country, where he met with his counterparts from several African countries.

Fidan said Ankara was committed to deepening relations with Africa, which he called on to support diplomatic support for the Palestinians.

Türkiye has invested heavily across Africa in recent years: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made 50 visits to 31 countries during his two decades in power. Fourteen African countries attended the latest ministerial meeting this weekend in the small nation of Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa. These included Angola, Chad, Comoros, the Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Fidan, who chaired the meeting, said trade with the continent exceeded $35 billion (1.2 trillion Turkish lira) last year and Türkiye’s direct investments now total $7 billion. “Türkiye is employing a comprehensive and holistic approach in terms of enhancing our trade and economic partnership with the continent,” Fidan said in his speech.

In recent months, Türkiye has attempted to mediate a dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia and hit a Mining agreement with Niger.

Greeting Erdoğan to the participants, the minister said they witnessed that Africa is preparing to take on a greater role in the 21st century with its young and dynamic population, its resources and its growing markets. He said Africa also faces global challenges such as terrorism, inequality, the impact of climate change and irregular migration. “None of them are greater than Africa’s achievements,” he added, noting that Türkiye maintained close collaboration with African countries since the early 2000s, based on the principle that African solutions were necessary to solve Africa’s problems. Africa. Türkiye advocates diminishing the influence of European countries that exploited Africa’s resources in past centuries.

The top diplomat noted that Turkey has been a strategic partner of the African Union since 2008. “We develop our relations with all African countries bilaterally, with a structured needs-based approach. We enhance our multilateral relations within the African Union. We give importance to Africa’s stability and we take its security concerns seriously,” he said.

Fidan reiterated that Sudan was now heading into its second year of conflict, which has had a devastating impact on the country. “We must not allow Sudan to be a dark issue for the international community and we must act together to achieve an immediate ceasefire and a lasting solution,” he said.

Fidan stated that Türkiye has always supported counterterrorism and local and regional initiatives to reinforce stability, build capabilities and spread security across the continent.

The minister reiterated his support for the African Union becoming a permanent member of the G-20 and for the reform of the United Nations Security Council. “We must continue our efforts to make the UN more relevant and capable of addressing the complex challenges of the century. Reform of the Security Council is critical in this regard,” he said.

“South Africa’s presidency of the G-20 in 2025 is a great opportunity for the continent to express its priorities on the global agenda,” he said.

“Türkiye strongly supports Africa to achieve the place it deserves in the international system, so that its voice is heard,” he said, adding that the international system in its current form cannot respond efficiently to inequality and injustice.

Under the leadership of President Erdoğan, Türkiye has long advocated for important reforms at the UN, especially in the UN Security Council, under his informal campaign with the slogan “The world is bigger than five”, referring to the council members.

“Peace, stability and justice are elusive for much of the world. The international system was unable to stop the current humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East. Israel continues to commit the crime of genocide against the people of Palestine. This attack unlimited threatens the region’s stability and international order more broadly. Israel should be subject to coercive measures.

Türkiye, in this context, launched an initiative for an arms embargo on Israel,” he said.

He called for greater African involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “We believe that Africa can play an instrumental role in supporting the Palestinian cause and stopping Israel,” he said. “We appreciate African countries supporting Palestine,” he added, highlighting South Africa’s recent decision to present evidence of “genocide“committed by Israel before the International Criminal Court.

The next Turkey-Africa Summit will be held in 2026. Fidan said that they are in close cooperation with relevant institutions to realize a joint action plan approved at the third summit held in 2021.

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