BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Financial, trade as well as security issues in the Horn of Africa have made the region one of the world’s most important geostrategic places. As the horn region is known for its noteworthy economic role, it is turning out to be one of the most significant trade channels throughout the world.
The significance of the region is alluring nations including the powerful ones to increase their military and economic presence in the volatile region.
The region hosts dozens of military bases of the mighty countries. And others are following suit to do the same. In this regard, Turkey is among leading countries trying to scale up its engagement in the region through economic cooperation and military relations.
Ankara also geared towards establishing relations with Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Tanzania, and South Africa. With the passage of time, Turkey ended up becoming a symbolic member of the international Partners Forum of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Continental Organization of Africa and what have you.
The Financial Times reported that the success of Turkish television in Ethiopia, the powerhouse of the Horn of Africa, is a small but telling sign of Ankara’s growing influence in a region that has become a magnet for foreign capitals. Efforts at soft power are aimed at countering the influence of Gulf rivals and other powerful nations.
Most countries in the world have appreciation for the horn region on the grounds of its geopolitical status. It is obvious that all eyes are on the region in view of its multifarious benefits, said Samuel Tefera (Ph.D.) Asian Desk Coordinator at the Center for African and Oriental Studies, Addis Ababa University as he spoke with The Ethiopian Herald on the role of Turkey in the horn of Africa and Ethiopia’s ties with Ankara.
In actual fact, Turkey possesses in the region a political and business interest. While on the subject, Turkey’s largest overseas military base is operating in Somalia. Similarly, Turkey is also desirous to work with Ethiopia, one of the regional players in the region as well as the continent. Ethiopia has also been seeing considerable economic growth in trade, investment and partnerships with Turkey. In what can be described as continuation of the growing tie between the two countries, Ethiopia has inaugurated a newly built embassy in Turkey.
The inauguration of the new Ethiopian Embassy building in the capital Ankara on 15 February 2021 shows in black and white the two countries strategic partnership and political trust. In the olden days, Turkey was not much interested in Africa.
At the inauguration ceremony of the new Ethiopian Embassy, the Ethiopian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen said that apart from playing a part in multifaceted cooperation,
the embassy will draw the people of Ethiopia and Turkey together and heighten mutual ties.
The Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on his part said that Turkey’s relations with brotherly Ethiopia with which it has strong historical ties and other African countries are based on partnership. He as well elucidated Turkey’s 42 embassies in Africa and shared that the number will reach 44 with the opening of others in Togo and Guinea-Bissau. “At a particular point in time, there were only 10 embassies affix a date to African nations in the capital Ankara, the number in the present day stands at 36.” he added.
“The inauguration of the newly built Ethiopian embassy in Turkey demonstrates the political trust of the two countries, Ethiopia and Turkey. They strongly trust each other more than ever before. Every once in a while, the bilateral relations between the two countries is getting stronger, bearing fruit and attaining the desired goal,” Samuel said speaking of the inauguration of the embassy.
He stressed that in the distant past, Ethiopian ambassadors to Turkey had played a significant role in cementing strong ties in connection with industrial development, attracting foreign direct investment, and things of that nature.
He further stressed that the two countries’ political commitment has been accelerating the economic cooperation of the two countries.
He went on to say, “I would venture to say, the inauguration of the embassy in Turkey is a manifestation of the aforementioned reality on the ground. If the government of Ethiopia has had no trust, it would not have built the embassy there. This shows the highest level of trust that has been built between the two countries in terms of economic, political and cultural ties,”
Aside from securing out of Turkish investment in Ethiopia, there is a military cooperation between the two nations. The bilateral ties between the two countries have been growing time and again, he said. “I would go so far as to say, the future of the two countries is rosy. In the present climate, the government of Somalia and Egypt are not on good terms in view of the fact that the latter one is not cooperative.”
As of the end of 2019, Turkish companies have been actively partaking in Ethiopia are around two hundred. Additionally, about twenty thousand jobs have been created these firms.
Furthermore, with the intention of bolstering relations in the education sector of the country, the Turkish government offers undergraduate and post graduate scholarships. Starting from the year 2020, six hundred thirty two students have been awarded scholarship in various higher learning institutions of Turkey.
Bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Ethiopia amounted to 355,5 million USD in 2018 (exports to Ethiopia: 321 million USD, imports from Ethiopia: 34,4 million USD) and to 398,8 million USD in 2019 (our exports to Ethiopia were 378,3 million USD and our imports were 27,5 million USD.
Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Ethiopia set in motion in 1896 with the exchange of delegations in the course of the rule of Sultan Abdülhamid II and Emperor Menelik II, according to information obtained from the website of the Republic of Turkey, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On the basis of the inaugural of the first Ottoman-Turkish Consulate General in Harar, in 1912, the first Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Sub-Saharan Africa was opened in Addis Ababa, in 1926. On a different note, the Ethiopian side initiated its Embassy in Turkey in 1933 and later it was closed in 1984 in the course of the Communist Derg regime and was re-opened on 21 April 2006.
The Ethiopian Herald February 19/2021
