ANKARA

Turkey on Tuesday congratulated South Africa on its Freedom Day national holiday

On Twitter, the Turkish Foreign Ministry noted that diplomatic ties between the two countries had been established in 1993.

It added that Turkey's recently established consulate-general in Cape Town opened its doors on Sept. 10, 2020.

Last year, the trade volume between the two countries was $1.46 billion, it said, adding that the most recent political consultations had been held on Dec. 8, 2020, via videoconference due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Turkey and South Africa also last held a Joint Economic Commission Meeting on Oct. 5, 2017, in Pretoria, it said.

Freedom Day is observed annually to commemorate South Africa's first post-apartheid elections on April 27, 1994.