Türkiye, Djibouti agree to enhance cooperation

ANKARA

Türkiye and the East African country of Djibouti have agreed to boost cooperation in 15 fields, including agriculture, tourism, environment, fisheries, and standardization.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu and Djibouti's Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding as part of the fifth term Joint Economic Commission (JEC) held in the east African country.

During his speech, Uraloglu said the trade volume between the two countries has reached $500 million and that there is potential to increase it further.

Pointing to Djibouti's strategic location, lying on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as a gateway to the Suez Canal and its proximity to the Arabian Peninsula across the Gulf of Aden, Uraloglu said: "We see this potential as very valuable and believe that Djibouti will develop very rapidly in the coming period."

Stressing that Turkish businesspeople have invested $205 million in some 21 projects in Djibouti, Uraloglu said: "The figure falls short of the potential of our construction sector."

Turkish investments in the country should be expanded to other sectors such as transportation, agriculture, energy, fishing, and livestock, he underlined.

Uraloglu highlighted that the ministry is keen to help ensure that one of Djibouti's gateways to the world is Türkiye and Istanbul.