Africa-Press – Angola. The Republic of Turkey considers Angola as one of its main partners on the African continent, said this Monday, in Luanda, the Turkish ambassador to Angola, Ufuk Ekici.
According to the diplomat, who was speaking at the ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, based on friendly ties, the two countries have achieved a substantial level of cooperation in various fields in recent years.
He mentioned that, among other sectors, the main areas of this cooperation are the areas of commerce and business.
Last year, he added, the turnover between the two countries was estimated at 250 million dollars, a figure that does not reflect the potential of this cooperation.
According to Ambassador Ufuk Ekici, Turkey aims, in the short term, to reach an annual value of 500 million dollars.
“The interest of Turkish companies in doing business and investing in Angola has been growing in recent years. Turkey is happy and proud to be among the main investors in Angola”, he highlighted.
In his view, in addition to mining exploration, there are potential areas of cooperation, such as energy, agriculture and the textile industry.
He highlighted the area of education as another sector of great importance and, therefore, Turkey increased the number of scholarships for Angolan citizens to 17.
He highlighted that, in total, more than 30 Angolan students are in Turkish universities studying bachelor’s or master’s degrees, in various areas, including medicine and engineering.
On the other hand, the diplomat said that his country follows and praises Angola’s continuous efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Great Lakes region.
Diplomatic and cooperation relations between the two countries are considered good and both governments have made efforts to increase bilateral cooperation, in the most varied areas.
After the Ottoman Empire collapsed following defeat in the First World War, its territories were occupied by the victorious allies. A group of young military officers, led by Mustafa Kemal, organized resistance against the Allies and, on October 29, 1923, established the modern Republic of Turkey, with Kemal Atatürk as its first President.
The event was attended by members of the Angolan executive, the diplomatic corps accredited in Angola, magistrates, among other guests.
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