New Turkish ambassador meets African Union official

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - Turkey’s new ambassador to Ethiopia has held talks with the deputy chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Kwesi Quartey welcomed Yaprak Alp, the Turkish envoy, on behalf of the Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat to the African Union Headquarters.

They both acknowledged the importance of advancing the existing collaboration between the African Union and Turkey within the domain of capacity building, trade and investment, education, science and technology in Africa, according to a press release issued by the AU on Thursday.

Quartey briefed Alp on the priority of the Commission, highlighting the role of science and technology in transforming societies.

He, according to the release, indicated that the African Union was vigorously pursuing its integration agenda and seeking to strengthen relations with partners such as Turkey, in order to attain equitable and inclusive socio-economic transformation and development of the continent.

He informed the ambassador on the progress made in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and asked her to encourage Turkish businesspeople to invest more in Africa.

Alp, for her part, thanked the deputy chairman. She expressed her resolve, as permanent representative of Turkey to the African Union, to work towards deepening the longstanding and cordial relationship between the AU Commission and her country.

The Turkish ambassador noted that Africa and Turkey have a lot in common which if harnessed properly would contribute to an effective partnership.

She further expressed her readiness to exchange views with relevant departments of the Commission on the AU theme for 2019 -- The Year of Refugees, Returnees & Internally Displaced Persons: Toward Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa.