Academic lauds Turkish-African relations

A Turkish professor visiting South Africa praised his country's partnership with the African continent, saying that it is mutually beneficial to both parties.

"We did not have a colonial or imperial past in Africa. Turkey has a blank past in Africa, which helps it today in forging new relations on the continent," Professor Selim Argun of Istanbul University told Anadolu Agency Sunday, on the sidelines of a major conference on the history of Islamic civilization in the region being held in Durban, South Africa.

He said Turkey has opened several diplomatic missions in Africa in order to strengthen bilateral relations, while many Turkish nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are providing humanitarian assistance to the needy.

"Turkey's interests in Africa could be summarized as a partnership among equals. Turkey was not a colonizing power. The Ottoman Empire was not a colonizing power. The most important and tangible proof of this is that none of the countries that were under Ottoman rule speak Turkish today," he said.

He said Turkey's interests in Africa include strengthening ties between Turkish and African businesspeople, intercultural exchanges, and supporting African students with scholarships, among others.

Argun said many African students have already benefited from Turkish educational scholarships and bursaries.

Last week, President Erdoğan embarked on a four-day working visit to West African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Guinea.

Professor Argun expressed optimism that Turkish-African relations will continue to grow.

"Unless there is a big political change in Turkey's political landscape, Turkish interest in Africa will continue to increasingly grow over the next couple of years," he said.

The academic said Turks are operating in Africa today with self-confidence and the trust of their African partners because they lack any history of colonizing Africans.

"Historically speaking, Turks are color blind and do not have racism. We don't segregate based on skin color," he told Anadolu Agency.