President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday received his Senegalese counterpart Bassirou Diomaye Faye in the Turkish capital, Ankara, for talks.
Erdoğan welcomed Faye with an official ceremony ahead of a series of bilateral and inter-delegation meetings meant to bolster cooperation on defense, trade and terrorism, including the fight against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
The pair are expected to sign a series of agreements and hold a news conference later.
Faye, a tax inspector turned politician, is Senegal’s youngest-ever president at 44.
Erdoğan hosted the president of the West African country, who was Macky Sall at the time, in December 2022. Earlier in February that year, he visited the Senegalese capital, Dakar. It was his fifth trip but Türkiye’s first presidential-level to Senegal.
Developing relations and cooperation with African countries is one of the cornerstones of Ankara’s multidimensional foreign policy.
Türkiye’s engagement with the African continent has been gaining pace over the years. Since assuming office nearly two decades ago, first serving as prime minister, Erdoğan has been fostering ties with Africa, presenting Türkiye as a fairer player than the continent’s former colonial powers.
Ankara has been stressing the desire to advance relations with the continent based on a win-win relationship and equal partnership while observing mutual respect. Both sides have been vowing to tap into their greater potential when it comes to further expanding and deepening relations.
The Turkish Embassy in Dakar, which was opened in 1962, is one of the first Turkish embassies in the African continent. Since then, the number of Turkish diplomatic missions on the continent has jumped to 44 in total. Turkish Airlines also crisscrosses the continent and flies to 62 destinations.
Senegal, which gained independence from France in 1960, stands out in West Africa owing to its stability and institutionalized democracy. Muslims comprise 96% of its 16-million population. Most people, such as the Muridiyya, Qadiriyya and Tijaniyyah, are devout followers of Sufi orders. This has prevented extremist elements from influencing the country's Muslim population.
According to the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), Türkiye's exports to Senegal were nearly $530 million and imports were around $11 million in 2022.
Furthermore, Turkish companies undertook 33 projects in the country, valued at $1.2 billion.
Apart from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), many humanitarian relief organizations operate in the country.
