Politics
Türkiye leaves its mark in Africa with peace diplomacy
Türkiye has built a reputation as a reliable power broker and mediator in international affairs under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. On the International Day of Peace, observed on Monday, this role is under the spotlight, especially in Africa. Experts say Türkiye’s approach to Africa through mediation, diplomacy, humanitarian aid, development and capacity building contributes to peace and stability processes across the continent.
The country obtained observer status with the African Union (AU) in 2005 and was declared a strategic partner of the continent in 2008. Peace and security are also among the priority areas of cooperation within the Türkiye-Africa partnership.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Dr. Alioune Aboutalib Lo, a researcher at the Africa Coordination and Training Center (AKEM), an Istanbul-based think tank, and Dr. Tarık Nur, a Sudanese academic and faculty member at Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University in Türkiye, assessed the country’s efforts toward peace and stability on the continent.
Lo said promoting peace and mediation had become an important component of Türkiye’s Africa policy over the past 20 years, noting that Ankara has been involved in various processes on the continent at both multilateral and bilateral levels.
Türkiye’s engagement with the continent gained unprecedented momentum after Ankara declared 2005 the “Year of Africa.”
Ankara has repeatedly presented itself as a fairer player than the continent’s former colonial powers, touting cooperation based on “equal partnership and a win-win principle.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made more than 50 visits to African nations both as prime minister and president during the past two decades.
Pointing to Türkiye’s contributions to peace efforts in Sierra Leone under initiatives carried out within the framework of the United Nations (U.N.), as well as to the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Lo said that at the bilateral level, Ankara has used diplomacy to bring parties involved in disputes closer together.
Lo said the Ankara Process between Somalia and Ethiopia was one of the most concrete examples of this approach, adding that Türkiye has also facilitated talks between Somalia and Somaliland, played a role in the Libya file and undertaken diplomatic initiatives regarding the dispute over Nile waters between Ethiopia and Egypt.
Emphasizing that the relations Türkiye has developed with African countries over the years have enabled Ankara to engage with different sides, Lo said: “Türkiye’s advantage is that it can talk to all parties involved in a conflict.”
Lo said Türkiye’s strengthened bilateral relations on the continent had put it in a position to initiate dialogue between different actors and made mediation one of its diplomatic tools.
Referring to the dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia, Lo said Türkiye’s political, diplomatic and economic relations with both countries had been instrumental in bringing the two sides together in Ankara.
Talks that began in July 2024 under Türkiye’s facilitation culminated in the Ankara Declaration, adopted on Dec. 11, 2024, under the auspices of Erdoğan. Somalia and Ethiopia reaffirmed their respect for each other’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity.
Commenting on the situation in West Africa and the Sahel, Lo said the region was becoming increasingly complex in terms of peace and security and that terrorism was one of the main challenges facing countries in the region.
Noting that Türkiye’s relations with countries in the region had strengthened in recent years, Lo said Ankara had developed ties not only with West African countries but also with countries belonging to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Lo said Türkiye’s role in the region extended beyond diplomatic and economic relations to the security sphere, adding that some Sahel countries were benefiting from Turkish defense industry products to develop their counterterrorism capabilities.
Sudanese academic Nur said Türkiye’s peace efforts in Africa should not be assessed solely through the lens of traditional mediation activities, noting that diplomacy, development cooperation, humanitarian aid, education and institutional capacity building were also components of long-term peace.
Citing Somalia as one of the clearest examples of Türkiye’s multidimensional approach, Nur emphasized that the Ankara Process also demonstrated Türkiye’s capacity to facilitate talks directly.
“It would be more accurate to view Türkiye’s role in Africa as a facilitation model that helps parties develop their own solutions, rather than producing a solution on behalf of one side,” Nur said.
Commenting on the ongoing war in his country, Nur said Türkiye could play a role in creating diplomatic space in Sudan, delivering humanitarian aid and supporting an inclusive political process that Sudanese parties could agree on.
Nur stressed that Türkiye’s coordinated efforts with the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the U.N. and Sudan’s neighboring countries could produce more effective results, saying: “Peace should not be viewed as being limited to a cease-fire.”
Nur emphasized that restoring the functioning of state institutions, universities, and education and health infrastructure in Sudan after the war would be important for sustainable peace.
Nur said Türkiye could increase its coordination with Africa’s own peace mechanisms, adding that post-conflict reconstruction and human resource development were also among the areas in which Türkiye could contribute to peace processes on the continent in the coming period.
In New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was also the top guest of the “100 Years of Friendship Gala,” organized by the Turkish-American business world to highlight the relations between Türkiye and the United States.
Erdoğan said at the event on Monday that conflicts, wars and crises facing the region and the world require Türkiye and the U.S. to remain in close dialogue, stressing the need for “new momentum” in ties between the two NATO allies.
“Thanks to the dialogue and coordination we have established with America, we are achieving positive results for our countries on many issues whose global issues we are witnessing, particularly in the Middle East, but also from Africa to Asia,” he said. “We are determined to continue this by redoubling our efforts in the coming period.” Erdoğan said Türkiye and the U.S. have made significant progress across their relationship, citing his “sincere and exceptional dialogue” with U.S. President Donald Trump and Trump’s visit to Ankara in July.
He said Türkiye is ready to advance cooperation with the U.S. in areas including nuclear energy, liquefied natural gas (LNG), civil aviation and high technology. Hours later, Türkiye announced it signed a new deal for nuclear cooperation covering small modular reactors (SMRs) and fourth-generation reactor designs. The deal was signed between Türkiye Nuclear Energy Inc. (TÜNAŞ) and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
“Developing the defense industry, traditionally one of the strongest areas of our partnership, both bilaterally and within NATO is essential,” he said. “We want to leave behind the barriers that should never have existed between two allies and gain new momentum.” “Deepening our cooperation with the United States in a multidimensional manner, including opportunities for joint production, will be in our mutual interest,” he said.
Erdoğan said Turkish companies have reached a level that enables them to invest in the U.S., expressing confidence that Türkiye will soon rank among the world’s top 10 defense exporters. “Twenty years ago, we exported only $248 million worth of defense products annually. Today, we have reached a level of more than $10 billion in defense exports,” he said. He added that Türkiye’s share of global defense equipment exports had increased by more than 120% compared with five years ago. “I hope that the strong ties between Türkiye and the United States and the bonds of alliance will grow even stronger in the second century of our diplomatic relations,” he said.
‘Island of stability’
The president also said that Türkiye has maintained and strengthened its position as an “island of stability” despite the crises and conflicts surrounding it.
He noted that foreign direct investment attracted by Türkiye over the past 24 years had approached $300 billion. He also cited reconstruction efforts following the 2023 earthquakes, saying more than 455,000 homes had been completed and handed over to earthquake victims within about three years.
Erdoğan said the figures demonstrated the resilience of the Turkish economy and called on investors to take advantage of opportunities in the country. “We are now launching a new investment drive on this strong foundation,” he said. He said an investment program announced in April introduced one of the world’s most competitive incentive packages, including reducing the corporate tax rate for investors from 25% to 12.5%. “We tell investors: ‘Come and manage your operations from Türkiye,’” he said.
Erdoğan called on the U.S.-Türkiye Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to continue encouraging American investors to take advantage of opportunities in Türkiye.
Speaking at the same event, U.S. Senator Chris Coons highlighted the longstanding partnership between Türkiye and the United States, saying business ties and entrepreneurship have helped strengthen relations between the two countries. He described the relations between the two countries as a “hundred years of deep and meaningful partnership and friendship, cemented by business.”
Referring to his recent visit to Ankara for the NATO summit, Coons highlighted the countries’ longstanding NATO alliance, noting that Türkiye and the U.S. will mark 75 years as NATO treaty allies next year.
Speaking about the important contributions made by Turkish businesspeople operating in the U.S., Coons said the NATO summit held in Ankara also played a particularly important role for the future of the alliance.
The “100 Years of Friendship Gala,” organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-Türkiye Business Council (USTBC) and hosted by Council Chair Hamdi Ulukaya in New York, was attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu and Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş. The event was also attended by Mehmet Öz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as numerous senior U.S. officials and members of Congress.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said Tuesday that he wants any renewed negotiations over the divided island to be geared toward reaching a settlement, as he prepares for talks with senior U.N. officials in New York.
Erhürman is due to travel to New York on Wednesday for separate meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his Personal Envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín. The meetings are expected to focus on the next steps in efforts to revive negotiations over the long-running Cyprus dispute.
“We do not believe in holding a 5+1 meeting simply for the sake of holding one, nor negotiations simply for the sake of negotiations,” Erhürman noted.
“We want a 5+1 whose prospects of producing results have been secured in advance through meetings in Nicosia, and negotiations that, in line with our people’s will for a settlement, will lead us to a solution this time.”
The 5+1 format brings together the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides, guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and Britain, and the United Nations.
Erhürman said meaningful progress would first be needed in three areas identified by Guterres; confidence-building measures, the methodology for negotiations and substantive issues.
Proposals under discussion include opening new crossing points between the two sides, demining, cooperation on disaster response and irregular migration, and establishing joint mechanisms involving sports and civil society.
The president noted the sides should make progress on such issues in Nicosia (Lefkoşa) before convening another expanded meeting, arguing that previous rounds of negotiations had failed to produce a settlement.
Guterres has also said more work is needed before another expanded meeting can be held and has cautioned against repeating mistakes made in previous efforts. Erhürman said the Turkish Cypriot side shares the U.N. chief’s emphasis on ensuring that any renewed process is structured differently.
No trilateral meeting involving Erhürman, Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Guterres, or a new 5+1 meeting, is currently scheduled during the U.N. General Assembly period.
Greek Solution party leader Kyriakos Velopoulos used provocative language targeting Turks as he criticized Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ policy of easing tensions with Türkiye, according to a statement published by his party.
Velopoulos criticized the “calm waters” policy pursued by Athens and Ankara in recent years and accused Türkiye of making threats against Greece.
He used a derogatory Greek expression about Turks before pointing out that the action should be taken against them, “like Mongols did,” referring to Mongol invasion of present-day Türkiye. He then cited a statement he attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, saying: “The Turks can be exterminated, but not conquered.”
The Greek Solution leader then presented the remark after saying there was “one solution” regarding Turks.
Velopoulos also attacked Mitsotakis’ approach toward Ankara, arguing that efforts to reduce tensions had failed to alter Türkiye’s policies. He described Turkish statements as “empty threats” and “chauvinism.”
His comments come amid renewed exchanges between political figures in Türkiye and Greece over longstanding disputes between the NATO allies.
Velopoulos has repeatedly criticized Mitsotakis over relations with Türkiye. In a separate statement on Sept. 18, he called on the Greek government to declare an exclusive economic zone with the Greek Cypriot administration and extend Greece’s territorial waters to 12 nautical miles.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, responded on Sept. 14 to separate remarks from Greece, calling on Greek officials to act with “seriousness and common sense.”
Velopoulos’ latest remarks targeting Turks were not based solely on media reports. The comments appeared directly in a press statement published on the Greek Solution party’s official website on Sept. 21.
Moreover, the party leader has previously called for a wall to be built along the Türkiye-Greece border, saying: “We must plug the hole. A 6-meter wall should be built and a minefield laid along Turkish-Greek border to prevent infiltration.”
Velopoulos has also continued his racist rhetoric, having previously been recorded as saying: “I want a Christian Europe without Muslims.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his call for reforms at the United Nations as he arrived in New York to attend the 81st General Assembly of the international body. In an article for Bloomberg titled “The Quest for Global Justice in a Changing World,” Erdoğan urged comprehensive reform of the U.N. Security Council, including the removal of the veto power held by its permanent members, arguing that the international system must better reflect today’s global realities.
The president said recent crises, including pandemics, energy shocks, supply chain disruptions and regional conflicts, had demonstrated the limits of leaving solutions to global challenges to the decisions of a handful of capitals. Stressing that global decision-making mechanisms must now adapt to today’s conditions, he said the UN Security Council continues to reflect the structure established after World War II.
Erdoğan said “a more effective, fair and accountable” system of representation was necessary and called for broader participation in global decision-making.
The Turkish leader has long pushed for reforms to the U.N., often using the slogan: “The world is bigger than five,” which refers to the Security Council’s unrepresentative membership. He said that the slogan should be understood as an appeal for a broader distribution of responsibility in the international system.
For years, the Council has faced claims that its five veto-wielding members, the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia and China, command disproportionate influence. “It is essential to turn the need for reform into a concrete roadmap,” Erdoğan said. “At the center of this roadmap should be the abolition of the veto privilege.”
He argued that simply adding new permanent members to the Security Council would not resolve the concentration of decision-making power in the hands of a small number of countries. According to Erdoğan, reform should instead be based on the principle that no country should have the permanent ability to block the will of the majority of the international community.
The president also called for a new balance between the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly. He proposed strengthening the powers of the General Assembly and creating a Security Council without permanent memberships, with council members elected by the General Assembly for fixed terms.
Under the approach outlined by Erdoğan, countries seeking another term would have to regain the confidence of a majority of General Assembly members through elections. “Representation and accountability of the Security Council before the General Assembly should be enhanced,” he said, arguing that the international order of the future could not be built by preserving the hierarchies of the past. “Developments over the last quarter century, which is a relatively short period in human history, have shown that no balance of power and no international order is permanent,” he said.
Erdoğan said new centers of power had emerged in areas ranging from the economy and security to technology and diplomacy, while international institutions had failed to adapt to these changes at the same pace. Wars, the climate crisis, irregular migration and economic vulnerabilities have underscored the importance of strong institutions, resilient economies and effective defense capabilities, he added.
The president pointed to the growing importance of secure and sustainable trade, logistics, transportation and energy corridors.
Erdoğan said Asia’s economic weight was increasing, while African countries were seeking stronger representation consistent with the continent’s potential.
He also said developing countries were increasingly voicing their own priorities and argued that regional problems could not always be resolved through methods determined from outside. “Approaches based on the will of the countries concerned, local conditions and common interests will produce more lasting and stable results,” Erdoğan said. He called for countries with the diplomatic capacity, economic resources and ability to communicate with different sides to assume “more active roles” in promoting peace and stability.
Erdoğan also addressed economic inequalities, saying expectations that globalization would broadly distribute prosperity had not been fully realized. He said income disparities had deepened, while technological and economic dependencies had become new areas of competition. “For global justice to be achieved under these changing circumstances, responsibilities must be shared fairly,” Erdoğan said, adding that developing countries’ right to development and access to the financing they need should be secured. He also argued that the international system must better account for changing economic and political realities across different regions.
The president said Türkiye would continue using its extensive international relations and experience in multilateral diplomacy to support efforts to reform the international system. “We support efforts to abolish the veto privilege, give elected members greater weight in decision-making processes and strengthen the role of the General Assembly,” he said. He said cooperation among countries from different regions around common principles would strengthen the legitimacy and representative capacity of the international system. “Permanent peace in today’s world cannot be achieved by multiplying blocs that are disconnected from one another and do not communicate with one another,” Erdoğan said. “For a more just world, we must bring together the experience, capacity and will of different regions on common ground.”
Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue to assume its responsibility in efforts to reform the international system, citing the country’s state tradition, diplomatic capacity and relations with different regions.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has a busy agenda on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, which is underway in New York. Fidan, who accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his visit, attended several multilateral talks in the city and explained Türkiye’s approach to a series of issues, from Israeli attacks in Gaza to U.S.-Türkiye relations.
On Tuesday, Fidan attended the sixth Türkiye-Egypt-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia foreign ministers’ meeting. He also joined a coordination meeting that brought together the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
He later met with his counterparts from Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Australia for the 30th MIKTA foreign ministers’ meeting, an informal grouping that Türkiye chaired in 2022.
Separately, Fidan addressed a panel entitled “Türkiye-U.S. Relations on the Eve of the Centennial,” organized by the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate. Fidan said at the panel that Türkiye expects the United States to use its influence to urge Israel to end policies that undermine regional and global peace and stability.
He also stated that Türkiye and the U.S. share an interest in sovereign and stable states capable of providing security and welfare in the region, particularly Syria and Iraq.
Fidan also called for greater regional ownership of security, saying, “Local solutions have a better chance to live.”
“This is why we believe that countries of the region should take greater responsibility for the security and stability of their own geography. This is why we need to embrace and advance regional ownership,” he said, citing the Mecca alliance between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as an example.
Fidan said three key challenges were the war with Iran, the risk of the Yemen conflict spreading to neighboring countries and Israel’s destabilizing policies across the region.
“These threats reinforce one another and obstruct diplomacy. Addressing them requires effective regional responsibility and close cooperation with the United States,” he said. “In particular, we expect the United States to further use its influence to urge Israel to end its policies that undermine both regional and global peace and stability,” he added.
Fidan said the Mecca alliance between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia “provides regional ownership and an institutional foundation, while strengthening cooperation and supporting regional peace and security.”
Fidan described Gaza as a central test of efforts to establish regional security and said a lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue remains essential.
“A lasting resolution of the Palestinian question remains essential for stability in the Middle East and beyond,” he said, adding that Türkiye supports U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to bring the Gaza crisis to an end.
“Commitments put forth through the peace plan must now be fully implemented,” he said.
Fidan said Türkiye also supports dialogue and diplomacy for achieving lasting peace in Ukraine and maintaining channels of communication with both Kyiv and Moscow.
Asked whether the Mecca defense alliance was primarily a deterrence mechanism or the beginning of a more institutionalized regional security architecture, Fidan said regional ownership aligns with the new approach the U.S. is adopting not only in the Middle East but also in Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
He said Türkiye’s regional vision rests on “no domination, no submission, but cooperation,” describing the defense arrangement as a starting point for building regional ownership.
Fidan said a long-standing lack of trust among regional countries has fueled counterterrorism campaigns, wars and the invitation of outside forces into regional conflicts.
“We come together around a defense club, not to deter somebody, but to make sure that we commit to each other’s security, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he added.
“There are other countries that would like to be part of this regional platform, and our idea is, once we properly institutionalize our partnership, I think that the invitation will be open to other countries to join,” he added.
Asked whether the defense agreement had passed its first test following recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, Fidan pushed back on the comparison, noting that NATO’s Article 5 has been invoked only once in decades and arguing that it was unfair to judge a “newborn” defense alliance against a decade-old Yemen crisis when “we’ve just started.”
Türkiye-U.S. relations
Fidan said the bilateral relationship between Türkiye and the U.S. had “time-tested enduring value” and had evolved from ties between two geographically distant nations into a partnership and alliance with an impact beyond their borders.
He noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump had a “central role” in the current momentum in bilateral ties, adding that the task was to translate it into concrete benefits and institutionalize cooperation.
“Our task is to turn this momentum into concrete benefits and institutionalize our cooperation not only for our countries but also for maintaining peace and stability in our region,” he said.
“As we enter our second century of diplomatic relations, we are determined to realize the full potential of our cooperation and resolve the issues holding it back,” he added.
Responding to questions from participants, Fidan said Türkiye maintains “great coordination” with U.S. mediators, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, on issues ranging from the Russia-Ukraine war to Gaza, Libya, the Horn of Africa and the South Caucasus, describing bilateral cooperation as at an “unprecedented level.”
On the CAATSA sanctions and the sale of F-35 fighter jets, Fidan said Erdoğan and Trump agreed during their White House meeting that the issue should be resolved “as soon as possible,” and that both sides have since been working to remove the obstacle, though it is “taking a little bit more time than we expected.”
Authorities detained nine suspects on Tuesday in operations against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in eight provinces. The suspects are accused of being part of a network that arranged marriages between members of the group.
FETÖ, which carried out the 2016 coup attempt through its infiltrators in the army, is known for its “izdivaç” (marriage) schemes, in which members, especially those infiltrated into critical state institutions, were ordered to marry spouses selected by the group’s handlers. This way, FETÖ managed to keep its wrongdoings under wraps and prevent them from being leaked to authorities, as both spouses would be devotees of the group.
Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office announced that an investigation was carried out in cooperation with police counterterrorism and intelligence units into FETÖ’s “izdivaç” network, which aimed to ensure loyalty to the group. The investigation found that the group ordered its members to marry people who met its self-styled criteria.
According to investigators, the group designated “izdivaç” handlers who compiled information about potential spouses and created databases for that purpose, matching prospective spouses strictly among FETÖ members. Along with traditional methods, the group used digital platforms to arrange marriages, and authorities identified 13 suspects involved in the scheme based on evidence seized from Merve Daştan, an “izdivaç” handler captured on May 5. Other suspects wanted by authorities remain at large.
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