President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be visiting the Republic of Zambia on Saturday on the invitation of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
According to a statement from Zambian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, Erdoğan will arrive in Zambia on July 28.
The upcoming visit is expected to further strengthen the existing relations and cooperation between Zambia and Turkey in numerous sectors.
Turkey's ambassador to South Africa praised brotherly relations between the two countries, ahead of BRICS summit which will be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."Turkey and South Africa go back a long way ," Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen said, in an exclusive interview to Anadolu Agency.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa invited Erdoğan at the summit as the term president of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).BRICS is a grouping of five countries including, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.Turkey can boost regional bloc BRICS's profile: Envoy"By joining the summit our president will convey our views to other leaders and will have the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of BRICS member countries," she said.Ülgen recalled that the two countries opened embassies in their capitals in 1993 and 1994 through a mutual agreement."Our bilateral trade volume is $2.5 billion. We buy minerals from South Africa. But there is a lot of untapped business potential. More needs to be done by South Africa."Ülgen pointed out that the internal dynamics of South Africa are well known and so patience and care should be exercised when trading in the country."Turkey invested in two companies in South Africa; appliance manufacturers and distributors Defy and Capetown Iron and Steel Works Company (Cisco)."For better representation in South Africa, Turkey opened institutions such as TIKA, Yunus Emre Institute, Maarif foundation."'South Africa similar to Anatolia'Ülgen said that South Africa's relations with Turkey go way back to Ottoman era.Renowned Ottoman scholar Abu Bakr Effendi was sent to Cape of Good Hope in 1862 during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz.His traditions are still being followed by Muslims in South Africa.She said South Africa resembles Turkey's Anatolian region in many ways."South Africa is similar to Anatolia. It has fertile soil like Anatolia and its climate is very beautiful. At the same time in terms of human history, it is a geography that has witnessed great pain,” she said.Ülgen said South Africans perceive Turkey positively."South Africans take great pleasure in spending their holidays in Turkey,” she said, adding that there is also a great interest in Turkish textile and cuisine.
Turkish envoy hails strong relations with South Africa
“Turkey has one of the largest and fastest growing economies which has made major strides in its socio-economic development agenda.
"Turkey is also a leading member of the EU Customs Union and the G-20. In addition, Turkey has continued to contribute significantly to various United Nations programs as well as several international and regional organizations," the statement read.
The visit will mark the first Turkish presidential visit to Zambia.
Severing ties with global strategic partners goes against Turkey’s understanding of sovereignty, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as he prepared to embark on a trip to South Africa.“Severing ties with our strategic global partners, who are just like the U.S. to us, goes against our understanding of sovereignty. Iran is both our neighbor and our strategic partner. There are so many developments based on mutual benefit,” Erdoğan said to members of the press in Ankara before boarding the presidential plane to South Africa.Washington has told its allies to cut imports of Iranian oil by November, a senior State Department official said. Trump in May said that his administration was withdrawing from the “defective” 2015 nuclear deal agreed by Iran and six world powers.Erdoğan will attend the summit to be held between Wednesday and Friday. His attendance at the summit will serve as the first high-level contact between Turkey and the BRICS bloc.FETÖ steps up terror activities in Africa ahead of Erdoğan visitErdoğan said he will discuss developments in Syria with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his trip to South Africa."Developments in Syria, whether in Tal Rifat or Manbij, are not going as desired. The only places that are going in the desired direction are Afrin, Jarabulus and Al Bab," Erdoğan saidThe president said issues in Idlib and Daraa will also be addressed during his meeting with Putin. "Anything can happen in these places at any time."Last month, the Syrian regime -- with Russian air support -- launched a major military operation in Daraa, allowing it and its allies to establish control over most of Syria’s border with Jordan.EU backs €400M for Syrian refugees education in TurkeyThe fighting led to a major displacement crisis, with an estimated 350,000 civilians fleeing Daraa towards areas near the border.Erdoğan said he will attend the summit which will end on Friday in Johannesburg as the term president of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.His attendance at the summit will serve as the first high-level contact between Turkey and the BRICS bloc."The theme of the session that I will attend is 'Global South-South Cooperation'," Erdoğan said.Erdoğan drew attention to the importance of the BRICS Summit saying: "I see the summit as an important opportunity to enhance relations between Turkey and BRICS."Turkish envoy hails strong relations with South Africa"I believe that the African continent would change the future of our ever-changing world," he added.The BRICS regional bloc is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, countries that share over 20 percent of the global economy and contribute around 17 percent to international trade.On the sidelines of the summit, the president is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of all BRICS member states and other invited leaders.In response to a question regarding Turkey's position on possible sanctions by the U.S. against Iran, Erdoğan said: "One must note that ending relations with our other strategic partners in the world conflicts with Turkey's understanding of independence..."Turkey can boost regional bloc BRICS's profile: Envoy
Erdoğan: Iran is both our neighbour and strategic partner
Erdoğan and his Zambian counterpart Lungu will discuss mutual and multilateral matters such as Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Reform of the UN Security Council.
The ministry has also stated the two leaders will discuss peace and security in the region particularly and the Continent in general.
"Turkey has an active role in promoting regional stability through its membership to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and Zambia’s membership to the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and also the country’s impending assumption of the Chair to the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defense and Security in August 2018," it said.