Turkey and Africa: more than an alliance in times of coronavirus

More than three decades after applying for membership of the European Union, Turkey has moved away from Brussels and redirected its diplomacy towards Africa. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu admitted on the eve of Africa Day that his country wants to continue "to strengthen its relations with this continent on the basis of a vision of 'win-win' and mutual respect". The Turkish diplomat believes that this partnership and the "development achieved in recent years in various fields allow us to look to the future with hope, despite the serious challenges we face today". 

The climatic, demographic, socio-economic and political factors that define the African continent have called the attention of Turkey, which has made an effort to "expand its economic and commercial relations" with Africa, as well as to increase humanitarian aid to avoid the possibility of a catastrophe on the continent due to the arrival of the coronavirus. 

In the same direction, Ankara has increased the number of scholarships for higher education and increased the number of flights of Turkish Airlines. In a speech that was collected by the Nigerian News Agency (Agence Nigérienne de Presse), Çavuşoğlu, stressed after recalling his country's achievements in the field of diplomacy in Africa that "Ankara's interest in this continent, with which it has historical and human links, is not new".

In many African countries, the dual challenge of conflict and the coronavirus threatens millions of people, especially those who have lost their jobs because of the measures taken by governments to reduce the impact of this pandemic. For the Vice President of the African Bank for Regional Development, Integration and Entrepreneurship, Khaled Sherif, "trade and stimulus are needed to cushion the economic impact of the current health crisis and increase the resilience of African economies to future crises". 

A virtual panel sponsored by the Turkish External Economic Relations Board (DEIK) entitled 'Multilateral Response to the COVID-19 Crisis: Turkey-Africa Partnership' has analyzed the effects of this pandemic on the African continent and the importance of trade with Turkey in addressing the economic consequences of COVID-19.

In this virtual meeting, the Director General of International Agreements and European Union Affairs of the Turkish Ministry of Commerce, Husnu Dilemre, highlighted the strong diplomatic links that exist between Turkey and most African countries and indicated that Ankara has more than 42 embassies in this continent. "We are making sure that even now, with the severe measures being used to control the spread of the pandemic, trade continues unrestricted. We believe that COVID-19 should not be an excuse to restrict trade," he said. 

For his part, AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene stressed that "conditions on the ground do not allow credible trade to begin as the heads of state of the various nations" had indicated. Despite the fact that the return to the new normality within the framework of the AfCFTA will have to wait a few weeks, Mene believes that the Free Trade Area, once in operation, would act as a stimulus for the continent. "The stimulus package for us has to be to implement this agreement. Boosting inter-African trade and positioning ourselves for year-on-year growth on the basis of this trade agreement," he said, in statements that were picked up by the digital Modern Diplomacy.

Africa Day is celebrated on 25 May to commemorate the founding of the Organization of African Unity in 1963. Several decades later, in 2002, this body became what we know today as the African Union (AU). In his speech praising the partnership between Turkey and Africa, Turkish Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, recalled that "in creating the African Union, African leaders set themselves objectives that would contribute to the unity of the continent in the struggle for the emancipation of its peoples". 

Half a century after the creation of this body, Çavuşoğlu insists that "the partnership between his country and Africa has been based from the beginning on a policy of unconditional support for the objectives that the continent has set itself" and has stressed that "the Africa with which we are proud to be associated is the Africa of the spirit of 1963 and the objectives 2063 of the African Union". 

Africa has had to celebrate its day this year in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis which, on this continent, has mainly affected South Africa, Egypt and Algeria. However, for Turkey, its partners on the African continent "have taken the necessary measures based on their experience in fighting epidemic diseases," an experience that has enabled them to reduce infection and mortality rates on the continent. "We sincerely hope that this will continue and that the disease will be eliminated as soon as possible," he said. 

In the same context, Turkey has called on the international community to seek "solutions collectively", arguing that "the post-COVID-19 world should be a world that requires more international cooperation than before, not less. Turkey is ready to do its part in this respect together with other countries". "I sincerely believe that Africa will contribute not only to the well-being of its own peoples but also to the world order in the years to come and that the partnership between Turkey and this continent will be an example in the new post-epidemic world order in which solidarity will become the most important thing," concluded the Turkish diplomat. 

Turkey's trade minister has reported that the country's bilateral trade with Africa stood at $23.8 billion in 2018, and Turkey's exports at $14.4 billion in the same period. Economic and humanitarian diplomacy has become Turkey's grand strategy to regain lost leadership on both the European and African continents. Thus, the Eurasian nation has expanded its 'soft power' networks, trying to respond to requests for help from several countries. Turkey's desire for regional leadership has meant that, in the midst of a health crisis, Ankara has decided to increase its influence on the African continent. 

However, this alliance is not a bed of roses. African Bank Vice President Khaled Sherif has warned that the continent's heavy dependence on commodities for exports, the lack of social safety nets or the need to import basic goods, are jeopardizing the economic recovery of countries once the coronavirus crisis is overcome. The agency is currently working with other partners to cushion the economic impact of this pandemic. "Between the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, all are coming together to see what kind of stimulus we can provide to countries that are struggling fiscally," he said. 

The President and CEO of the Trade and Development Bank, Admassu Tadesse, has been optimistic in talking about the sectors that have been least affected by this pandemic. "The agricultural sector continues to function well. Between January alone and now we have manufactured more than half a billion dollars of fertilizers as imports," he said in statements collected by Modern Diplomacy. Still, he stressed the importance of free trade in accelerating trade on his continent. "It will take some time to really get there, but complementary measures to support industrialization and value addition in various sectors will actually give that momentum the speed it needs".

In this context, Turkey has continued to send troops of mercenaries and military material to the National Accord Government militias in Libya. The number of recruits in Libya has increased to 10,100 combatants, including a group of non-Syrian mercenaries, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Ankara has also intensified its defence cooperation with Tunisia. The portal Defensa.com reported at the end of April that the Turkish company Aselsan had sold a large number of portable Kangal frequency jamming systems to Tunisia. These systems were supposed to be installed in troop transport vehicles and to protect them against attacks or ambushes. In recent months, the Eurasian nation has become one of Tunisia's most important suppliers, something that is not looked upon very favourably by some Mediterranean countries such as France or Greece. 

The web portal Africa Intelligence reported last February that the Tunisian Army was planning to start operating armed drones of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). According to this information, the Turkish state conglomerate signed a first export contract for its Anka model in January. This contract was signed just one month after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a surprise visit to Tunisia, where he spoke to his counterpart about the conflict in Libya and the regional tensions caused by the recent rapprochement between Ankara and the Libyan Unity Government (LUSG). The gap between Ankara and Brussels is just one of the factors that has caused Turkey to give greater prominence to its diplomatic relations with Africa, relations which, in times of pandemic, have been strengthened more than ever in some areas.