By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL – On November 3, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that arms sales to Israel must end. Fidan was speaking at a news conference in Djibouti where he was attending the Turkiye-Africa Partnership Summit. At the press conference, Fidan said that a joint letter was written to the U.N. that calls on all countries to stop the sale of arms and ammunition to Israel. Fidan said the letter, delivered on November 1, has 54 signatories and explained: “We must repeat at every opportunity that selling arms to Israel means participating in its genocide.” He added that the letter is “an initiative launched by Turkiye.” Some of the signatories include Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Algeria, China, Iran, and Russia along with the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. In October, Turkiye’s President Erdogan called on the U.N. to impose an arms embargo on Israel that he said would be an “effective solution” to end the conflict in Gaza.
Meanwhile, at the summit, the Turkish diplomat said there should be greater involvement from Africa in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As Fidan remarked: “We believe that Africa can play an instrumental role in supporting the Palestinian cause and in stopping Israel.” He added: “We appreciate the African countries that stand with Palestine,” lauding South Africa’s recent filing of evidence of “genocide” committed by Israel. Fidan underscored Turkish support for the African Union and the necessity of it becoming a permanent member of the G20. He also reiterated that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) must be reformed as a number of other diplomats in the EU have reiterated. Fidan emphasized: “We should continue our efforts to make the UN more relevant and capable of confronting the complex challenges of the century. Security Council reform is critical in this sense.”
Turkiye is seeking to deepen its ties with the African continent and has numerous ongoing projects in Africa. Fidan said that trade with Africa reached over $35 billion in 2023 and Turkish direct investments now total $7 billion. As Fidan said: “Turkey is employing a comprehensive and holistic approach in terms of enhancing our trade and economic partnership with the continent.” Turkiye is the fourth largest arms supplier to sub-Saharan Africa and assisted in training armed forces in a number of nations. Recently, Turkiye attempted mediation in a feud between Ethiopia and Somalia, and signed off on a mining deal with Niger. The 14 African countries in attendance at the summit include Angola, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. The next Turkiye-Africa Summit is scheduled to meet in 2026.
