ANKARA

The Turkish foreign minister will attend a two-day conference on the Africa-Türkiye partnership in Djibouti, Turkish diplomatic sources said on Friday.

Attending the Third Ministerial Review Conference of the Türkiye-Africa Partnership this weekend, Hakan Fidan will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the host country Djibouti and other African countries.

Fidan’s visit marks the first foreign ministerial-level visit from Ankara to Djibouti.

Türkiye, one of the African Union's (AU) nine strategic partners since 2008, holds regular summits to determine the strategy and roadmap for bilateral ties for five-year periods.

The most recent summit was held in Istanbul in 2021, with the next expected in an African country in 2026. The conference is held to review summit decisions, with the first two held in Istanbul in 2011 and 2018.

Fidan is expected to emphasize Ankara’s commitment to Africa, highlighting that ties are conducted within an institutional framework based on mutual respect and benefit, focusing on humanitarian, social, and economic development based on the continent’s priorities.

He will also address Türkiye's continued support for Africa's voice in global politics and multilateral platforms, particularly the UN, while backing the AU’s full G20 membership and deeper relations with African regional organizations.

Parties to sign joint declaration, implementation report

The conference will host foreign ministers from 14 African countries, including Djibouti, Mauritania, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Ghana, Comoros Union, South Sudan, Chad, Libya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Egypt, and AU Commission representatives.

The 2022-2026 Joint Action Plan includes several projects on peace and security, trade, education, infrastructure, and health development. The upcoming conference will evaluate progress on the joint action plan and discuss strengthening the partnership.

As a result of the conference, a joint declaration and 2022-2024 Joint Implementation Report are expected to be adopted.

The declaration will outline plans for developing Turkish-African relations leading to the Fourth Partnership Summit and address regional developments, while the implementation report will detail Türkiye's activities in Africa during 2022-2024 and suggest improvements for cooperation.

The AU is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity.

*Writing by Yasin Gungor