Türkiye extends its collaboration and support to the African continent by displaying its handicrafts for sale in the international market at the "African Culture House" ("Afrika Kültür Evi") in the capital Ankara.

"When a candle burns it doesn’t enlighten itself but the whole world." Türkiye’s first lady Emine Erdoğan quoted Mevlana Rumi in her speech at the event "Volunteering Together with Africa" at the Presidential Complex on Tuesday.

"Turkish ethics, values, norms and culture determine our history and I believe we can form a better future for our generations ahead," said Erdoğan addressing the assembled ambassadors of African countries.

"As we all know that the African continent has been suffering historically from poverty, health crises, human rights violations and so on. While Türkiye as a country always focuses on humanity and help, we are a nation to extend our hand of brotherhood to everyone irrespective of any differences.

"In this context, I believe that Türkiye is opening a new chapter of its history, a new bond between Türkiye and Africa, a page of friendship and humanity in the global book," she emphasized.

In her address at the event, she said, Turkish foreign policy’s most important charter is "humanity, help and love" and the country has always remained a power to spread its helping hand.

In this context, Turkish organizations such as – the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and the Maarif Foundation work hard to establish strong ties between the countries, she underlined adding: "From education to health we stand with Africa and provide longlasting political, social and economic support."

She further said, "Türkiye has become the voice of Africa on the international level and we aim to develop and maintain the prosperity of the continent and we will keep putting our efforts into this cause."

Besides, our businesspeople play a key role in assisting African students by providing them with more opportunities, Erdoğan added.

Giving the figure of African students, she reiterated that to date over 14,000 African students have come to Türkiye for their higher studies via the Türkiye Scholarships Program and returned to their home countries with a treasure of knowledge and experiences, which the first lady expressed pride in.

She cited the significance of Türkiye's foreign policy when she said that rather than focusing on national interests, Türkiye concentrates on the interests of humanity as a whole.

The first lady stated, "Our nation encourages volunteerism, so I want us all to contribute to this noble cause and be a voice for the weak by becoming volunteers."

Talking about her inspiration behind this initiative, she said that in 2015, when she accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on an official visit to Ethiopia, the humble nature, smiling faces and strong character of African women inspired her immensely.

In her words: "I was extremely happy to see such colors of the world but on the other hand, the injustice and exploitation done to them, especially to women, broke my heart. Hence, I decided to import these experiences and skills to Türkiye and provide the women a platform where they can empower themselves."

"Currently, the African Culture House in Ankara is just an initial step and we are planning to expand it very soon to empower the women and their art."

She concluded her speech by quoting Mevlana Rumi, "A candle never loses any of its light while lighting up another candle," relating it to Türkiye's assistance to underprivileged nations looking for the light of empowerment and prosperity.

Adopting a single-dimensional foreign policy shaped by its relations with the West for decades, Türkiye has shifted its direction to a more diversified, multidimensional and independent foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. Türkiye's opening up to Africa, which dates back to the action plan adopted in 1998, took shape in 2005 when it was declared the "Year of Africa" by Ankara, and Türkiye was accorded observer status by the Africa Union the same year.

In a reciprocal move, the African Union declared Türkiye its strategic partner in 2008, and relations between Africa and Türkiye gained momentum when the first Türkiye-Africa Cooperation Summit was held in the commercial capital Istanbul with the participation of representatives from 50 African countries that year.

Ankara has frequently reaffirmed that Türkiye’s approach in its ever-growing relations with African countries is based on equal partnership and a win-win principle, emphasizing the strong will to further develop commercial ties.

President Erdoğan last year embarked on a four-day diplomatic tour to three African countries, Angola, Nigeria and Togo, as part of the country's African policy to contribute to the economic and social development of the continent with peace and stability, as well as to develop bilateral relations based on equal partnership and mutual benefit.

During the tour, Erdoğan underlined that Western countries for years exploited the continent of Africa for their interests and reiterated his message for a fairer world by calling the oppressed to act together for this aim.

Türkiye’s engagement with the African continent has been gaining pace over the years. Since taking 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.