Erdogan to visit 3 African countries

By Felix Tih

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay a four-day visit to Sudan, Chad and Tunisia from Dec. 24, his office said Friday.

He will be accompanied by a large delegation of Turkish officials and business figures, according to a statement, as Turkey continues to expand its political and commercial links in Africa.

The visit will be dominated by business forums to discuss investment and Erdogan expected to sign cooperation deals in each state.

The visit demonstrates Ankara’s desire to strengthen ties with the three countries under its Africa partnership policy, the statement said.

During his latest visits to Africa, Erdogan has vowed to boost Turkey’s links with Africa.

Turkey has observer status in the Africa Union and has raised its diplomatic profile on the continent, increasing its embassies from 12 in 2003 to 41, according to presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.