Continuity and Change in Turkish Foreign Policy Toward Africa

Abstract

This article aims to give an overview of Turkey's improving relations with African countries. It indicates that Turkey's international relations concentrate more on her relations with the European Union, Caucasians, Balkans, the Middle East and USA. Turkey's opening up to Africa today, is a new development in her international relations. However, such relations had existed during the times of the Ottoman empire, especially with north Africa. Turkish academics, universities and media have not yet grasped the importance of Africa in the academic sense and as such none of them has a center on African research. Likewise, the African academics, universities and media. Other than communications between Turkey and African countries and related institutions on the subject matter, it is not possible to talk about significant serious data on Turkey-Africa relations. The relations between Turkey and Africa were on each individual African country's basis. However, with the recent development in the world today known as "globalization", Turkey is trying to improve her political and economic relations with the entire African continent and with the recent development, we have seen that there are high level visits between Turkey and African conutries. Trade relations between Turkey and African countries are in progress.