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AFRICAN PERSPECTIVES ON RELATIONS BETWEEN AFRICA AND TURKEY: THE NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA’s DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD) By MOGUS TEKLEMIKAEL Vice President of the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD) Presentation Paper At The Third International Turkish-African Congress Held in Istanbul, Turkey December 4-6, 2007
1. Introduction This presentation is inspired by the historic visit of His Excellency Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Turkey to Ethiopia on March 2, 2005. The visit which also included the headquarters of the African Union in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, marked the Republic of Turkey’s renewed relationship with Africa. The Prime Minister assured Africa that Turkey would stand by its African friends much more actively and that his visit would give further impetus to a positively progressing relationship in the pursuit of Turkish-African common vision of promoting a world of peace, stability and prosperity. The message was delivered in an address to a conference which the Institute I represent had the privilege of hosting and which was attended by all African diplomats accredited to the African Union and Ethiopia as well as members of the Ethiopian government. I am honored today to relate that historic message with the vision of NEPAD. This opportunity has been created as a result of the cooperation agreement which was established in 2005 between TASAM, the eminent Turkish Institution which is hosting this august Congress, and the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development. I wish to thank Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Turkey, H.E. Dr. Mulatu Teshome, for his keen interest in the implementation of this cooperation agreement with TASAM. I shall attempt in this presentation to indicate how the pledge of His Excellency Prime Minister Erdogan and, indeed this august Congress, demonstrate in practical ways that Turkey is ready to support Africa as stipulated in the programme of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). 2. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Let me briefly outline the concept and strategies of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD for short, to indicate Africa’s perspective on the continent’s relations with Turkey. The holistic comprehensive and integrated strategic framework for the socio-economic development of Africa, that is NEPAD, was created in 2001 in Abuja, Nigeria, based on an earlier document called “The New African Initiative.” In the subsequent activities, African leaders endorsed the initiative at their summit meeting of the OAU in Lusaka in 2001 with improvements that clarified the concepts, implementation procedures and set up leadership committees as well as a secretariat. The paramount body created by the African Union Summit is an implementation Committee of Heads of State and Government. As such, NEPAD is a programme mandated by the African Union. Its Implementation Committee reports annually to the African Union Summit Meetings and the Secretariat of the Union participants in the work of the Implementation Committee. Following the adoption of NEPAD as an embodiment of the vision for development with international cooperation, on 23 October 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria, a member of Task Teams were established to develop specific programmes. The priority areas of concern for NEPAD include, inter alia: a. The building of capacity to foster peace, security and stability as basics to good governance and socio-economic development; b. Accelerated development to eradicate poverty, with equitable distribution of the benefits of development; and c. The mobilization of resources that augment domestic resources in a meaningful scope through increase of capital inflows via further debt relief, increased flows of ODA, FDI and private capital. NEPAD is a framework of development strategies owned by Africans; it is a framework of global partnership that is based on the pursuit of common interest with commitments to mutual obligations and accountability. It is anchored on the premise that the development, security and stability of Africa are in the interest of the international community which should join the global partnership with African governments and people. NEPAD is a pledge by African leaders to live up to their pressing duty to the African people to eradicate poverty and to place their countries on a path of development that enables the continent to participate actively in the world economy and body politic. 3. Strategic Direction of NEPAD At the initial stages of networking for resources mobilization, there was a perception that NEPAD appeared to focus on the G8 group of rich nations. It is a fact that members of the G8 have a decisive say in changing the global trading environment and ODA resource flows. However, the scope envisaged by NEPAD is much wider. In the words of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, who has been active on the Implementation or Steering Committee, NEPAD is based on the recognition of the fact that Africa’s development is vital to the realization of the material interest, not only of Africans but also of the rest of the world. In the current global environment, he says, we all survive or sink together. NEPAD has to garner support from peoples and governments outside the G8 countries and a massive marketing effort is required to achieve this. The involving government and non-governmental actor everywhere is what NEPAD seeks in order to achieve its objectives. Thus, the rest of the world has a very important role to play in Africa’s development through South-South cooperation and a broad spectrum of arrangements. NEPAD was promoted at the 56th Session of the UN General Assembly; the concept of NEPAD partly stemmed from the meeting of G77 in the year 2000 and was promoted at Summit Meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement, and the existing development cooperation with European Union in the context of the Cotonou Agreement has relevance to the strategic direction of NEPAD. 4. The Turkish-African Congress and NEPAD 4.1. The Republic of Turkey is seen in Ethiopia and, obviously in Africa, as a major player on the international scene. The strength of Turkey in industrial output and global trade is a recognized fact. As one of the fastest growing economies in Euro-Asia, which is to become a full member of the European Union, the Republic of Turkey is recognized as an important partner in the framework of NEPAD. Turkey’s membership of NATO, OECD, the OECE, the UN and its solidarity with Developing Countries make it a major player in the global political, security and economic arena. This august Congress is a clear indication of Turkey’s initiative to give due focus to Africa. This is, in my opinion, the response that NEPAD seeks.
4.2. Turkey and Peacekeeping in Africa is another area which helps to show Africa’s attitude towards this great nation. The Republic of Turkey is recognized by Africa with great respect as a major player in international peacemaking and peacekeeping operations of the UN. This role augments the capacity of NEPAD in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts and the maintenance of regional peace and stability. Recent examples in Africa include Turkey’s contribution to UNOSOM II in Somalia in 1993-94 and support to the UN Sierra Leone Mission, Congo Observation Police Commission and to UN Ivory Coast Operations. The attributes of Turkey to which I have referred are important factors on which the leadership of NEPAD depends for response to its aspirations. NEPAD’s concept of partnership with mutual commitments, obligations, interests, contributions and benefits has received the assurances of committed partnership from the Republic of Turkey pledged in 2005 at the highest level of its leadership alluded to at the beginning of this presentation. This august Congress represents in practical terms Turkey’s continuing engagement with the principles of NEPAD as an embodiment of the aspirations of the African peoples. There are many other factors which influence positively the attitude of the African peoples towards the Republic of Turkey. I have selected only one item, that is the principles of international cooperation advanced by NEPAD to demonstrate that Turkey is indeed engaged with Africa in line with those principles as representatives of African opinion today. Thank you for your attention!
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