Turkey’s Ambassador to Botswana Ahmet Idem Akay has called for further strengthening of ties between the two countries and closing of any loopholes. Botswana and Turkey have enjoyed bilateral relations since 1981.
In an exclusive interview recently, Akay – who assumed the Gaborone diplomatic mission task a year ago – said Botswana and Turkeyi diplomatic relations have grown in leaps and bounds and still offers potential for further growth.
He noted Turkeyi first opened its doors in Gaborone in 2014 and before that it was accredited to the Pretoria Embassy, South Africa. Akay is the third resident Turkish Ambassador to be based in Botswana.
National Day
Turkiye recently commemorated its 101st anniversary and Akay said Turkiye – being a regional power and a global actor – attaches great importance to developing multi-regional relations, corresponding to an ever-growing global interconnection.
He said they are continuing efforts to reach the potential of Türkiye–Botswana commercial and trade relations and trying to attract more Turkish investment in Botswana.
“Recently our Commercial Counsellor in Pretoria, who is also responsible for Botswana, visited Gaborone. We had productive meetings with officials from Business Botswana, Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association, Botswana Investment & Trade Centre, Local Enterprise Authority and Botswana Meat Commission,” he said.
JCC
He said Botswana and Turkeyi are on course to resuscitate the critical Join
Commission for Cooperation (JCC) between the two countries.
“Turkeyi and Botswana are strategic partners and we continue to explore ways in which we can strengthen our bilateral relations. Next year will have our third session of Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) to be hosted by Botswana. It is important for our bilateral relations,” he said.
He noted that JCC is co-chaired at Ministerial level, and include discussions in the fields of trade, energy, agriculture, health, education, culture, tourism, sports and environment etc.
Furthermore, he said Botswana and Turkiye hope to conclude several agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) in these fields.
He also said Türkiye–Botswana Business Council was established this year and held its first meeting online in July between representatives from Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK),
Business Botswana, Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association (BEMA) amongst others.
He said another important aspect is cultural exchange and it is worrying that given the long history of bilateral relations between Botswana and Turkiye, the citizens of the two countries don’t know each other very well.
“However, the hospitality between Batswana and Turkish is very good. Botswana is a very receptive country and so is Turkeyi. We must thrive to improve ties around culture and know each other very well,” he added.
COLLABORATION
He said Botswana and Turkiye have bilateral relations in areas such as education, culture and health, adding that most important areas targeted for collaboration include tourism, agriculture and sports etc.
Akay said this year, seven Batswana students were offered scholarships by Turkiye government to further their studies in different fields, adding that the number of enrolments will increase in the future.
In addition, he said tourism is very important for the two countries and lack of direct flights from Turkiye to Botswana is a disadvantage as many Turkiye tourists would love to visit Botswana.
“Last year alone, Turkiye received over 55 million tourists. Botswana also receives large volume of international tourists on annual basis. There is still a lot more that we can do to partner on tourism,” he said.
INVESTMENT
Moreover, he said the embassy is committed to facilitating more Turkish investment flow in Botswana, adding that currently there are only three Turkish investors in Botswana.
He said the silos that were launched in Pandamatenga were designed by a Turkish company and engaged Batswana who were trained on how to utilise the silos by the company.
Akay also said there is an energy plant in Orapa which is managed by a Turkish company.
“Our bilateral trade flow still remains low and its worth between $3 million and $4 million dollars per annum. Some Batswana import textile from Turkey and our wish is to see trade volumes between the countries improving. We are in consultations with government of Batswana to attract more Turkish investors,” he added.
Meanwhile, Akay said Turkeyi continues to promote medical tourism between the countries; noting that some Batswana travel to Turkeyi for medical treatment.
TIKA PROJECTS
Akay said the embassy through Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) coordinates socio-economic projects to empower local communities and organisations.
He said the embassy has recently launched a support initiative for the Botswana Red Cross Society (BRCS) at the Tlamelong Rehabilitation Centre to train people with disabilities in the textile field.
The support also included a two-week textiles training programme facilitated by the Turkish Cooperation, with TIKA aiming at empowering participants with the vital vocational skills.
He also said as part of the Erenler Sofras Ramadan Programme, TIKA in cooperation with the embassy in Gaborone distributed food packages to 1 000 families across the country.
Akay said more diversified TIKA projects will be launched in the future to support Botswana’s economic growth aspirations as contained in the National Vision 2036.
TIKA is an implementing intermediary of Turkish foreign policy, particularly in the countries which have shared values resonating with that of Turkiye.