Turkey-Africa conference kicks off in Istanbul

By Handan Kazanci and Nilay Kar Onum

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Turkey-Africa 2nd Ministerial Review Conference kicked off in Istanbul on Monday with the attendance of 19 African countries, and Anadolu Agency serving as official photo provider.

The conference, co-organized by the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the African Union Commission, began with group photos of the ministers and officials.

The gathering is being held nearly four years after the November 2014 Africa-Turkey Summit held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

The ministerial meeting in Istanbul is a precursor to next year’s Third Turkey-Africa Summit, setting the tone and agenda of deliberations for that meeting.

It also falls some 10 years after the 2008 African Union Summit, where Turkey was declared one of the union’s strategic partners.

The conference also aims to review the progress made on partnership and to discuss steps that can be taken to strengthen cooperation between Africa and Turkey.