Policy Brief September 2014
Turkey’s new focus on Africa: causes and challenges By Ali Bilgic and Daniela Nascimento Executive summary
Although Turkey had no past colonial involvement with African countries, there has been an increasing revival of Turkey’s relation with the continent since the end of the 1990s, which reached a peak after 2005. From then on, along with a focus on Central Asia, the Balkans and the Middle East, Turkish foreign policy started shifting its focus to Africa, and as a new donor country Turkey’s political and economic relations with sub-Saharan African countries have intensified significantly. This policy brief analyses and discusses the main economic, political, and strategic motivations behind these shifts and priorities, as well as some of the perceptions and current challenges this change in policy faces.
Introduction Africa Ex-Im Bank), encouraging business trips, and Although Turkey had no past colonial involvement with becoming a donor to the African Development Bank. All African countries, there has been an increasing revival in these goals were more or less achieved in the following its relations with the continent since the end of the 1990s, years, primarily reflected in the opening of new embassies reaching a peak after 2005, which can be fundamentally in various African countries.1 explained by the important cultural ties they share. From then on, along with a focus on Central Asia, the Balkans After 2002 the Justice and Development Party government and the Middle East, Turkish foreign policy started shifting continued and intensified the process launched by previous its emphasis towards Africa, and as a new donor country its Turkish governments, and in 2003 the undersecretary of political and economic relations with sub-Saharan African foreign trade prepared a “Strategy for Improving Economic countries have intensified significantly. This policy brief will Relations with African Countries”. In 2005 Turkey obtained analyse and discuss the main economic, political and observer status at the African Union (AU), while the same strategic motivations behind these shifts and priorities, as year was declared as a “Year of Africa” in Turkey. In well as some of the main perceptions of these moves and January 2008 Turkey became an AU “strategic partner”, the challenges faced by Turkish foreign policy in this which paved the way for the Turkey-Africa Cooperation regard. Summit held in Istanbul with the participation of 49 African countries, and which was considered the beginning of a steady and sustainable cooperation process. In addition to The political dimensions of Turkey’s focus this, in 2008 Turkey was also accepted as a non-regional on Africa member of the African Development Bank and as a In 1998 the Turkish “Opening to Africa Action Plan” was member of the Intergovernmental Authority on Develop- officially announced, which was specifically aimed at ment Partners Forum. In this context of increased political improving the political, economic, development, and and diplomatic involvement, Turkey clearly assumed the cultural relations between Turkey and African countries. Its role of a new actor in some relevant areas in the African goals included increasing the number of Turkish diplomatic continent, attaching particular importance to peace and missions in Africa and high-level diplomatic exchanges stability in the continent, which was reflected in the with the continent, increasing humanitarian and develop- country’s contributions to the United Nations (UN) and AU ment aid (including Turkey’s potential membership of the missions deployed in the continent. Turkey is currently
1 In 2009 in Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire; in 2010 in Cameroon, Mali, Uganda, Angola and Madagascar; in 2011 in Zambia, Mauritania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe; in 2012 in Somalia; and in 2013 in Ghana. Noref Policy Brief – September 2014
providing personnel and contributing financially to five2 of several years (The Guardian, 2013). TİKA has been carrying the existing UN missions in Africa. Turkey also used this out development projects and activities in Sudan, Senegal, political leverage and involvement to support its candidacy Burkina Faso, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of the for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat for the Congo and Gambia. Three main programmes that are 2009-10 period, gaining almost all of the African countries’ specifically designed for Africa should be highlighted: votes. “The Agricultural Development Programme for the Conti- nent of Africa”, “The African Health Programme” and “The Vocational Training Programme for Africa”. In 2009 The economic dimension: between trade development aid to Africa by Turkish governmental organi- and development aid sations was worth nearly $44 million; in 2012 ODA was Turkey’s political engagement with Africa has also been increased to $772 million (Kurban, 2013). matched by an intensification of economic and commercial relations between it and some African countries. Economi- cally, both sides benefit from increased trade and develop- The “benevolent partner” discourse ment cooperation because it creates employment and and its implications investment. This economic involvement can be divided into Politically, Turkish foreign policy discourse towards Africa the categories of trade relations and development aid. In has been built on two pillars. The first is the importance of terms of trade, it is possible to observe progress, especially historical ties. For example, Foreign Minister Ahmet between 2000 and 2008. In 2000 Turkey’s trade with Davutoğlu (2012) explained the importance of Somalia for sub-Saharan African countries was worth $742 million; by Turkish interests by underlining the Ottoman expeditions to 2008 it had increased to $5.7 billion (MFA, 2013). However, that country during the 16th century. He stated that “We fluctuations appeared after 2008. According to the 2012 have inherited these [relations] from the Ottomans. They figures, while steel and iron products have represented the call us neo-Ottomans. Yes, we are neo-Ottomans” highest share of Turkey’s exports to sub-Saharan Africa (Euroactive, 2009). In a press conference he praised the (worth nearly $1 billion), pearls, valuable stones and intensifying relations with Africa: “We are proud of this … jewellery are the main imports from Africa (worth nearly culturally, we see ourselves as African. We do not have $813 million) (MoE, 2013). As a result of the booming a bad memory with Africa, but a good history to share” economies in many African countries, Turkey has also (Zaman, 2011). This leads to the second pillar of Turkey’s invested in communications through Turkish Airlines, political discourse towards Africa, which takes the form of which currently flies to 38 destinations in 23 countries in a clear anti-colonial discourse. Foreign Minister Davutoğlu sub-Saharan Africa (MFA, 2013). has repeatedly highlighted that Turkey is not like “others” – referring specifically to Western states – that had In terms of development aid, the main institution through a colonial past in Africa. Moreover, Turkish discourse which official aid is channelled to Africa is the Turkish towards Africa sees the Turks as “friends” who fought Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA). In 2011 only, against colonialism with Africans. Similarly, in a speech while official development assistance (ODA) fell in 16 Davutoğlu delivered at the Africa-Turkey Partnership Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development- Ministerial Review Conference (December 15th-16th 2011), Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) coun- he affirmed: tries, Turkey’s net ODA increased by over 38%. Turkey has undertaken several initiatives in the past few years in the Stretching hundreds of years back, our history tells us development field, e.g. hosting the UN Istanbul Somalia that the well-being of Africa and Turkey cannot be Conference on May 21st-23rd 2010, designed to support the separated from each other. Within a relationship based Djibouti Peace Process. Specifically, the Istanbul Declara- on equality, mutual respect, cooperation and common tion adopted during the conference is seen as constituting stance against adversaries, the rise of African and a road map for the settlement of the Somali issue. In Turkish civilizations were always closely linked. At Somalia, Turkey has become the largest donor among times when we were able to strengthen our interac- non-OECD-DAC countries. Also in 2010, Turkey co-chaired tions, cultural links, trade connections and political with Egypt the International Donors’ Conference for the positions, we were triumphant and prosperous. How- Reconstruction and Development of Darfur in Cairo. During ever, when our ties and defenses were weakened due to the conference Turkey announced a pledge of around many reasons including imperialism, colonialism, $65-70 million of humanitarian assistance mainly in the conflicts, or inner strife, we were both weakened and health, agricultural and education sectors. Furthermore, fell back behind other nations and groupings. Economi- through TİKA,3 Turkish international aid and development cally, we have everything to gain from ever closer projects have steadily increased in Africa over the last interaction (Davutoğlu, 2011).
2 African Union/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). 3 TİKA currently has three offices in Africa, in Ethiopia, Sudan and Senegal. İT KA offices support development projects in their respective regions and from these three offices the organisation operates in 37 African countries.
2 Noref Policy Brief – September 2014
This speech clearly reflects the underlying rationale of this It is still yet to be established to what extent these new anti-colonial, historical and political discourse, i.e. the approaches and discourses can actually help to build up possible economic and political gains offered by the a sustainable and mutually beneficial cooperation relation- Turkish presence in Africa. At the same conference ship that has a positive impact on the living conditions of Davutoğlu continued his speech as follows: African people, or whether Turkey’s new orientation towards Africa simply ends up reflecting the old principle of The most affluent nations in the world carry out most of “business as usual”. their economic activities among themselves. We would not like to play the role of peripheral attachments to far-away economic centres. Rather, we prefer to grow References as strong economic entities in our core regions and Davutoğlu, Ahmet. 2011. “Speech delivered by H.E. Ahmet negotiate with other partners from positions of strength Davutoğlu, minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of (Davutoğlu, 2011). Turkey at Africa-Turkey Partnership Ministerial Review Conference.”
From the perspective of the targets of these policies and The Guardian. 2013. “How Turkey is emerging as a develop- approaches, some suggest that African reactions to ment partner in Africa.” April 10th.
3 The authorS
Ali Bilgic is an assistant professor in the Department of Interna- tional Relations at Bilkent University, Turkey. The Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre Norsk ressurssenter for fredsbygging Daniela Nascimento is a researcher at the Centre for Social Studies and assistant professor of international relations at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. The Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre (NOREF) is a resource centre integrating knowledge and experience to strengthen peacebuilding policy and practice. Established in 2008, it collaborates and promotes collaboration with a wide network of researchers, policymakers and practitioners in Norway and abroad.
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