By Mark-Anthony Johnson, Gibraltar
Turkey is aiming to deepen economic and military ties with Africa, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks at a major summit of African heads in Istanbul and called for a seat representing the continent at the UN Security Council.
Heads of state from 16 African nations, along with more than 102 ministers and representatives of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States attended the summit in Istanbul.
The Third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit follows a flurry of activity by Turkey aimed at boosting ties with the continent.
In October, Istanbul hosted business leaders and dozens of ministers from African states for a summit aimed specifically at increasing trade.
“One-point-three billion people live on the African continent and it is not represented at the Security Council,” Erdogan said on Saturday.
“This is a huge, flagrant injustice. I am still excited and thrilled every time I visit the continent,” Erdogan said, adding that he had made more than 50 trips to the continent and visited more than 30 countries since 2004.
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