Abubekir Salim
The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) has stepped up its efforts in Africa in a bid to negatively impact Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the continent and participation in the BRICS summit currently being held in South Africa.
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.
On the sidelines of the summit, the Turkish president is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of all BRICS member states and other invited leaders.
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdoğan is scheduled on Thursday on the sidelines of the summit, according to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov.
A smear campaign
According to the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD)’s South Africa head Abubekir Salim, against whom the FETÖ terror organization has launched several false lawsuits, “A group of journalists were brought by FETÖ members to meet the group’s ringleader Fetullah Gülen in Pennsylvania prior to Erdoğan’s visit to South Africa in a bid to negatively impact public opinion in the country and portray FETÖ in a good light. It was also aimed at starting a smear campaign against the president and put forth false accusations.”
The journalists were asked to launch smear campaigns using false evidence against Turkish businessmen and companies operating in Africa.
South Africa's envoy to Ankara has highlighted the significance of Turkey’s attendance at the BRICS summit, which would also see the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.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.“In the event that Turkey is invited to join BRICS, it should be expected that the country will positively contribute to the aims and objectives of the formation,” Ambassador Pule I Malefane told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview.Malefane drew attention to Turkey as an “emerging economy”.“Turkey is also an emerging economy with exceptional potential, therefore, it will correctly improve the profile of the formation and also stand to gain a lot from being a member.“The bloc presents a specific and systematic attempt at addressing challenges facing the world that range from country-specific problems relating to domestic poverty, inequality and unemployment to climate change and a global economic system that is biased in favor of corporate interests, particularly in finance and technology,” Malefane added.Erdogan 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.On the sidelines of the summit, the Turkish president is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of all BRICS member states and other invited leaders.A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan is scheduled on Thursday on the sidelines of BRICS, according to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov.- 'Turkey, a strategic partner'Erdogan will later pay an official visit to Zambia on Saturday and meet Zambian President Edgar Lungu to discuss bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international developments.Malefane on Erdogan’s attendance said Turkey had been invited to BRICS since the country was being seen as a “strategic partner and leader in the region”.“Turkey is being regarded as a strategic ally in strengthening south-to-south relations and Agenda 2063, which is a strategic vision of the African Union,” he said.On Turkey-South Africa relations, South African envoy said the visit is expected to “reemphasize the need to continue on the path of increasing trade between the two countries so as to guarantee a better life for the peoples of the two countries”.“Turkey remains a historic partner of South Africa dating back to the era of the Ottoman Empire and continues to play an important role in advancing South Africa’s foreign policy and South Africa’s role in the global diplomatic terrain,” he said.Turkey's trade with BRICS countries was $60.7 billion last year -- $7.3 billion in exports and $53.4 billion in imports, according to Turkey’s statistical authority, TurkStat.However, regarding the trade volume between Turkey and South Africa specifically, Malefane said: “Our bilateral trade figures are currently just below a billion U.S. dollars and this has exposed the need to dialogue and communicate more to realize the potential that is still untapped.”Recalling that South Africa was among the first countries to condemn the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, Malefane highlighted that his country will “avail itself to work with Turkey in fighting terrorism within our respective countries and beyond our borders”.FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.*Sadik Kedir Abdu from Ankara contributed to this story.
Turkey can boost regional bloc BRICS's profile: Envoy
All attempts will fail
Speaking about recent developments, Salim said that the good atmosphere that prevailed between Turkey and South Africa following the election of President Ramaphosa is set to improve even further after the participation of President Erdoğan in the BRICS summit.
“All they did to prevent this was for nothing. We will never allow it to destroy the beautifully developing and effective ties between the two countries, and all the ongoing efforts together with our president’s visit, and will continue to develop our trade ties in particular and bring relations to its peak.”
FETÖ terrorists are led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, who orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup attempt and is the mastermind behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary as well as in state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETÖ.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in South Africa on Thursday at a summit of BRICS countries.They will discuss the situation in Syria, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told a news briefing. 
Erdoğan to meet Russia's Putin at BRICS summit in S.Africa
The BRICS group inviting Turkey to its annual summit this week provides a significant opportunity for all member countries to develop better economic and political ties with Ankara, said the representative in South Africa of Turkey’s Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (MUSIAD).This invitation from the BRICS group -- made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- is also an important development for Turkey, Abubekir Salim told Anadolu Agency.The seriousness with which member countries approach the BRICS annual summit is reflected in the way the member countries' presidents and other leaders make it a requirement to honor, he stressed.President Erdoğan to attend BRICS summit in South AfricaHe noted that this year Turkey was invited to the summit even though it is not a member of the union, signifying the intention for inclusion and cooperation by the BRICS bloc."The meeting will also provide an opportunity for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss with Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa leaders not only economic matters but also all kinds of counter-terrorism issues that are of concern to all these countries," he stressed.Salim added that it was inevitable that a country such as Turkey that emphasizes "The world is bigger than five" -- referring to the unrepresentative UN Security Council -- and has promoted the use of national currencies in international trade will strengthen relations with the BRICS countries.The 10th BRICS summit, hosted by South Africa in the financial capital Johannesburg, starts on Wednesday and lasts through Friday.The summit will the second international meeting attended by President Erdoğan since the start of his second term, following the NATO summit of July 11-12.Shifting away from the WestSalim said: "Economic and political powers are fast shifting from the dominant Western monopoly's hands to other economies like China and India, which have huge populations and impact on the global economy."BRICS thus clearly constitute an important alternative to these institutions, especially for developing countries, he added."It is within this context and within the scope of the 2025 vision that the BRICS bloc aims to create a new financial system whose members support each other more aggressively," he said.The summit, where issues related to the global economy, trade, investment and financial cooperation will be discussed, will host several leaders and business representatives.Attendees will gather under the theme of "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration, Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution Public Lecture."Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's former deputy prime minister for the economy, has said that Turkey is looking at being a member of BRICS, which is establishing a new development bank, to benefit from it.Turkey's trade with BRICS countries was $60.7 billion last year -- $7.3 billion in exports and $53.4 billion in imports -- according to Turkey’s statistical authority, TurkStat.BRICS countries' share of the global economy is over 20 percent, and they have around 17 percent of international trade, according to the BRICS.BRICS countries manufacture one-third of industrial products and half of the agricultural products worldwide, BRICS said.Their foreign trade with the rest of the world last year totaled $5.9 trillion, according to the International Trade Center data.The BRICS group was established in 2006 to enhance cooperation between member countries and also other developing countries.
BRICS, Turkey meet offers opportunities: Business group