Africa in Turkish foreign policy

Abstract

Abstract

Africa, with its underground resources such as oil and natural gas, as well as significant mineral deposits, has become a competitive arena for countries that have been active on the continent for many years, including Russia, China, Japan, India, Brazil, and France. Africa, which is becoming the new focus of countries due to needs such as energy and economic development, is now considered a rising power in the world, despite being a colony in previous centuries, and relations with Africa also occupy an important place in Turkish foreign policy.

Relations with Africa date back to the 16th century, and although the Ottoman Empire ruled over most of East and North Africa, the Ottoman Empire's rule began to falter in the early 19th century with the entry of European powers into Africa. As a result of European powers taking over African countries, the Turkish presence in Africa came to an end.

The formation of a comprehensive foreign policy regarding Africa took place in the late 1990s, and Turkey-Africa relations have intensified since the 2000s. In the work titled “Africa in Turkish Foreign Policy: Fundamental Dynamics, Opportunities, and Obstacles,” written by Elem Eyrice Tepeciklioğlu, the position of Africa in Turkish foreign policy is explained with examples from the statements of leaders and numerical data, along with the steps taken in the following years, including criticisms of past relations and suggestions for the future.