Third Turkey-Africa Summit to start in Istanbul
ANKARA
The Third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit will be held in Dec 17-18 in Istanbul Congress Center under the auspices of Presidency of the Turkish Republic.
Leaders and top ministers from 39 countries, including 13 presidents, have confirmed attendance.
The two-day summit comes fast on the heels of a top-level business forum in October that focused on investment and trade. The next phase of this fast-blossoming relationship is security, experts say, with a host of African leaders looking to buy up military hardware at cheaper prices and with fewer strings attached.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to make a speech in the summit on Dec. 18.
The number of Turkish embassies in Africa has grown from 12 to 43 since 2002 while the national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, flies to over 60 African destinations. The share of Africa in Turkey’s trade with the world is 6.5 percent.
