Türkiye, South Africa vision of global issues
Türkiye and South Africa’s shared vision of global issues plays an important role in the advancement of the two countries’ relations
The future of cooperation between Türkiye and South Africa is bright owing to their historical, cultural, and shared values and global vision, the Turkish foreign minister has said.
“We will continue to be in unity and solidarity with South Africa to generate peace, stability and prosperity in our regions and beyond,” Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote in an opinion piece Tuesday for South Africa’s IOL news site.
Cavusoglu is currently on a five-nation Africa tour which began on Sunday with his first stop in South Africa, where he visited the Nurul Hamidiye Mosque in Cape Town, named after Sultan Abdulhamid II. The mosque was renovated by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).
He also visited the Tana Baru Cemetery, where the tomb of Ottoman Muslim scholar Abu Bakr Effendi is located. Cavusoglu also officially inaugurated the Turkish Consulate General in Cape Town.
On Monday he visited the grave of the last Ottoman Consul General Mehmet Remzi Bey at Braamfontein Cemetery in Johannesburg.
Cavusoglu said Türkiye and South Africa’s shared vision of global issues plays an important role in the advancement of their relations.
He said Türkiye shares the same expectations as South Africa towards a just and efficient global order based on effective multilateralism including a structural reform of the UN system to make sure Africa’s voice is heard by the international community.
Being members of the G-20, Türkiye and South Africa have a historical responsibility, derived from the lessons learnt through their historical struggles, to defend and spread the spirit of peace, respect and cooperation across their regions and globally, Cavusoglu wrote.
He said South Africa has been a pioneer for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and made peace diplomacy in Africa.
Likewise, Türkiye, with its enterprising and humanitarian foreign policy, has become a brand in mediation and facilitation.
Cavusoglu said Türkiye’s efforts in the war in Ukraine is the most recent example. “By securing the Istanbul Grain Deal, we ensured the uninterrupted flow of grain and fertilizer, especially to Africa.”
He said Türkiye is also a reliable and principled development partner for South Africa, where TIKA has been instrumental in development cooperation projects all over the country, reaching rural communities in all nine of the country’s provinces.
TIKA, Türkiye’s development aid agency, has so far completed 50 projects since 2015, including some 20 projects in 2022 alone. Cavusoglu also said the Yunus Emre Institute in Johannesburg – Turkish Cultural Center – established in 2017 has brought the peoples of the two countries together through language courses, conferences, and exhibitions.
