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Dossier

Vol. 20 No. 1-2 (2018): L'Africa tra vecchie e nuove potenze

Africa's Place in Turkeys Foreign Policy from Doubts to Normalization

  • Mehmet Ozkan
Submitted
April 3, 2024
Published
2024-04-03

Abstract

Without any exaggeration, the rise of Turkey in Africa as an actor in multiple areas can be considered as a novelty in the foreign policy of Ankara. From development assistance to investments, from politics to security, Turkey is now an influential player in African politics. Since 2005, the biggest question for Turkey’s African policy was whether or not Ankara could sustain its new policy toward the continent if any economic, social and political instability occurs within Turkish domestic politics. Turkey has faced immense difficulties in the last four years domestically. Terrorism threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (Kurdistan Isci Partisi- PKK) and the experience of an unsuccessful military coup attempt on 15 July 2016, have not diminished Ankara’s interest for Africa. Relations have continued as in the past and now it can be argued that even the most drastic developments in Turkey are unlikely to change the course of these relations. This article analyses the developments in Turkey-Africa relations since the end of the Cold War and evaluates the future of these relations in the coming years.