ANKARA

Türkiye bases its relations with African countries on a "win-win principle," Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said Thursday.

“We want to develop our relations in a way that will ensure the mutual interests of the countries by developing joint projects in every field," Kurtulmus said during a meeting with Adama Bictogo, Speaker of the National Assembly of Ivory Coast, who was in Ankara for an official visit.

Recalling his official visit to Ivory Coast in early March for the 18th Session of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC), Kurtulmus said they are following up on the topics discussed during the conference.

He stressed that cooperation in trade, agriculture, energy and defense industries would benefit both countries, noting that Bictogo's visit to Türkiye would positively contribute to the development of the two countries' relations.

Expressing gratitude to Bictogo for his participation in the 5th Conference of the Inter-parliamentary Jerusalem Platform to be hosted by the Turkish parliament in Istanbul on Friday, Kurtulmus noted that important messages would be conveyed from Istanbul to the world during the meeting.

Bictogo said the bilateral trade volume between Ivory Coast and Türkiye is approaching $600 million and their goal is to reach $1 billion in a short period.

He also highlighted the pleasing level of friendship between the two countries' peoples, noting that Istanbul is the second most visited city by Ivory Coast people after Paris, with increasing interest.

Bictogo said that visits by citizens of both countries are an important opportunity to accelerate economic and trade relations.

Regarding collaborations in energy and agriculture in Ivory Coast, Bictogo invited Turkish businesspeople to invest in his country, expressing their desire to work together on projects such as water treatment and transportation in Abidjan, aiming to make it the “Istanbul of Africa” through joint efforts.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul