BRUSSELS
Turkish Minister of Development Cevdet Yilmaz on Wednesday said that Turkey's presence in Africa was an "opportunity" for the African countries.
Minister Yilmaz represented Turkey at the Mali Donor Conference in Brussels.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency (AA), Cevdet Yilmaz said that "in addition to providing training to Mali's police officers, we have promised to provide two million USD to Mali as aid for their development".
Turkey's relations with Africa have a different nature and are based on a win-win principle, Yilmaz stressed.
"Some of the countries we see in similar conferences are actually responsible for the status quo in Africa. Thank God, Turkey does not have an imperialist history in Africa," Yilmaz underlined.
"Turkey is well received in Africa. Turkey's presence in Africa is an 'opportunity' for those countries. In the past, African countries did not have competition and works were done at very high prices by certain monopolies. Wherever Turkey goes in Africa, you can see competition and better alternatives," Yilmaz said.
"Turkey's presence in Africa carries importance from the perspective of diversifying exports markets. Had we not opted for alternative markets in the past 10 years and stayed focused on only Europe, the global crisis would have affected us more. As we diversified our exports markets, such as Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, we were less affected by the global economic crisis than other developed countries," Yilmaz stated.
"Last year, Turkey provided official assistance worth 2.5 billion USD, most of which went to African countries. Turkey is no longer a receiving hand but a donor," Yilmaz stressed.
"Our assistance open new doors for Turkey. Our assistance facilitate the development of new relations throughout the world and opens new doors for our business world and non-governmental organizations. Our assistance help foreign students establish bridges between Turkey and their countries. Such assistance help create a very different image of Turkey in the minds of the recipients," Yilmaz noted.
Meanwhile, more than 100 countries and international organizations attending the Mali Donor Conference promised to provide 3.25 billion euros to Mali in aid.
