Turkish Airlines among sponsors of South Sudan Oil and Power Conference

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) - Turkish Airlines is among the sponsors of the South Sudan Oil and Power Conference, which opened on Thursday in the capital Juba.

“We are so glad to participate in South Sudan Oil and Power 2023 as the official airline partner. Such conferences are important for Turkish Airlines to grow our brand awareness,” Omer Kerem Bektes, country manager at Turkish Airlines Sudan, told Anadolu.

He said Turkish Airlines operated its first flight to Juba on June 1, 2022, and on the same day this year, they marked their first year here.

Bektes said the flag carrier keeps expanding its network and continues to bring Turkish hospitality to the world.

He noted that Turkish Airlines is currently flying to more countries than any other airline in the world.

“Flying to 344 worldwide destinations in 129 countries, Turkish Airlines turned 90 years old on May 20, 2023 and set new targets for its 100th anniversary to reach $50 billion in revenue and a fleet of 800 aircraft. As of June 2023, Turkish Airlines is servicing 62 cities and 41 countries in Africa,” said Bektes.

He said they maintain support for projects in various fields such as sports, the arts, culture and business.

“Turkish Airlines aims to make passengers feel valued and special while showing them the entire world and surprising them through the implementation of innovative practices at every stage of their journey,” he said.

South Sudan Oil and Power 2023 kicked off in Juba on Thursday, and the government of South Sudan used the occasion to call on foreign investors to venture into the vast oil and gas sector in order to realize the potential of being the engine for catalyzing economic growth and development in the region.

South Sudan’s Minister for Presidential Affairs Barnaba Marial Benjamin said the country has vast unexploited mineral wealth and urged investors to take advantage of the existing potential.

“When we talk about oil and energy, this is because this resource is to open up the enormous resources that the Republic of South Sudan has. We are talking of 644 square kilometers of land, beautiful land, and agricultural land, and there is no piece of land you can throw away in this country.”