Africa to play important role in future: Turkish aide

By Guc Gonel, Cigdem Alyanak and Kaan Bozdogan

ISTANBUL

Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Wednesday said Africa will play an important role in the future.

“Why is Africa important? Because the world’s all big economies, all big powers are interested in Africa,” Kalin said while speaking at the second day of the 8th Bosphorus Summit in Istanbul.

He said the continent will be seen on the world stage in 40-50 years and it will play an important role.

Recalling criticisms that Turkey is in search of new alliances and turning its face to other countries from western countries, the presidential spokesman said that “it is inevitable to follow a multi-dimensional foreign policy” in a multipolar world.

“Turkey’s geological and geopolitical position does not allow it to focus on a single region,” he said.

Giving an example of Turkey’s relations with Africa, Kalin said that Turkey has raised number of its embassies in Africa from12 in 2002-2003 to 41 today.

Kalin also stressed Turkey’s historical links to Asia and said that it has good relations with India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan.

Responding to criticism about Turkey’s bilateral relations with Russia and China, he said that it is very natural for Turkey to develop a policy in accordance with its own needs just like other big countries in the world do.

“Let me put it very clear; When European countries focus on the Middle East policy, no one considers it as getting away from the Western alliances,” he said, reminding French President Emanuel Macron’s recent visit to Africa.

Global agenda issues were also part of Kalin’s speech. He said that the most important issues of the global agenda mostly take place in a geographical location, where Turkey is situated.

“It is of course impossible for Turkey to be indifferent to these issues,” he added.

The spokesman quoted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s famous words about the world being bigger than five, which refers to the UN Security Council’s five permanent members, and said that Erdogan’s slogan points out the injustice in the world.

“It becomes inevitable for people to question the system in which the gap between the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak is getting bigger,” he said.

Local and international politicians, scientists and private sector stakeholders have been participating in the three-day event, which has the theme "The Design of Future, The New Challenge of Globalization".

Kalin said that hosting this kind of events in Turkey is also important for the world.