Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu started his Africa tour, arriving in South Africa. He is planning to visit Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe later, aiming to discuss bilateral relations as well as Turkey’s African Partnership Policy.
"We started our South African contacts by visiting the Nurul Hamidiye Mosque, named after Sultan Abdulhamid II, in Cape Town, whose restoration works were undertaken by TIKA (the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency). In cooperation with all our institutions, we protect our cultural heritage all over the world!" he wrote via social media.
Cavusoglu later visited the tomb of Ottoman Islamic scholar Abu Bakr Effendi at Tana Baru Cemetery. He also met with Turkish citizens in Cape Town.
"Thanks to you, Turkey-South Africa relations are progressing on solid foundations and the purpose of my visit is to further strengthen the relations between the two countries," he told his compatriots.
In South Africa, Cavusoglu will hold several official meetings in Pretoria and open the Turkish Consulate General in Cape Town, aiming to provide service to Turkish citizens in the city and "work together to improve [Turkey's] relations with South Africa in the Cape Town region."
Earlier, Purnima Anand, the president of the BRICS International Forum, named Turkey among potential new members of the BRICS bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently said that his country could supply Africa with flour after processing Russian grain in order to mitigate the impact of the world food crisis. Turkey is a key participant of the so-called grain deal, with the goal to provide a maritime corridor which allows for the export of grain and fertilizers from Ukrainian ports.