Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has concluded his first leg of a three-nation African tour in Angola on Tuesday, accusing the West of neglecting cries for reform on the continent.
Erdogan has cultivated ties with Africa since assuming office nearly two decades ago, first as prime minister and then as president, portraying Turkey as a more fair player than the continent’s former colonial powers and China.
According to a statement from his AK party, he addressed business leaders in Luanda on Monday evening, “We as Turkey give tremendous importance and value to our close partnership with the continent of Africa.”
“We want to grow our relationship on the basis of a win-win, equitable cooperation, while keeping an eye on the future.”
In an earlier address to the Angolan parliament posted on the Turkish presidency website, he said “the fate of the humanity cannot and should not be left to the mercy of a handful of countries that were the victors of the Second World War”.
“Ignoring the demands for change is an injustice to Africa,” he added, noting that Turkey bore “no stain” of imperialism or colonialism and rejected “Western-centric Orientalist approaches” to the continent.
In talks with his Angolan counterpart Joao Lourenco, he touted Turkey’s natural gas reserves and distribution network, which he said “would be pleased to share our experiences”.
Erdogan’s next stop is Togo, followed by Africa’s economic powerhouse Nigeria.
Before travelling to Angola, Erdogan boasted 38 visits to 28 countries since he became prime minister in 2003.
Turkey has 43 embassies on the continent and its national airline is now serving more than 60 African cities, including a direct link between Istanbul and Luanda launched last week.