Speaking at a joint press conference with President Faye of Senegal, President Erdoğan said: “Our trade and investment relations with Senegal increase constantly. Our trade volume has neared 500 million dollars. Our goal at the first stage is 1 billion dollars.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye held a joint press conference following their tête-à-tête, the meeting between the delegations and the signing ceremony of agreements at the Presidential Complex.
“OUR TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONS WITH SENEGAL INCREASE CONSTANTLY”
Congratulating President Faye of Senegal on his victory in the elections held in March, President Erdoğan stated that they have addressed during today’s talks cooperation opportunities between Türkiye and Senegal in a wide range of areas, including investment, trade, security, defense industry, anti-terror fight, energy, agriculture, urbanization, culture and higher education, and said: “In this sense, we have signed four agreements. Our trade and investment relations with Senegal increase constantly. Our trade volume has neared 500 million dollars. Our goal at the first stage is 1 billion dollars. We have agreed with my treasured friend on rapidly achieving this goal.”
TÜRKİYE-SENEGAL BUSINESS FORUM
Drawing attention to the Türkiye-Senegal Business Forum to be held in Istanbul on November 1, President Erdoğan noted that such meetings will reveal the true potential of the economic relations between the two countries, and added: “The Senegal 2050 National Transformation Programme, announced recently by the Senegalese government, has also been on the agenda of our talks. I told that we stand ready to share our experiences in this area with our Senegalese friends. Today, we have also reviewed joint steps that could be taken in security, defense industry and the fight against terror, FETO in particular. On this occasion, I thank Senegalese officials for the support they provide to our fight against FETO. I do not doubt that this support and solidarity will continue in the upcoming period as well.”
“SENEGAL’S STANCE BASED ON THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION IS EXTREMELY VALUABLE”
Stating that they have also addressed the developments in the Sahel region and Palestine, President Erdoğan said: “We have once again reaffirmed our mutual stance that security and stability cannot be restored in Africa unless security is restored in the Sahel region. We have also discussed the steps Türkiye and Senegal could take in the face of Israel’s genocide in the Palestinian territories, Gaza in particular.”
Voicing his appreciation for Senegal’s chairmanship of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) since 1975, President Erdoğan went on to say: “I would like to note that we consider Senegal’s stance based on the two-state solution in the Palestinian issue to be extremely valuable. We will continue our efforts to that end. We see it as a brotherly and humanitarian duty to stand with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. We follow with appreciation the sagacious stance our African brothers and sisters, who know well what oppression, pressure, war and massacre mean, and have suffered from them, display against the Israeli government’s genocide policy.”
“WE CALL ON ALL THE CONSCIENTIOUS COUNTRIES TO PUT MORE PRESSURE ON THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT”
President Erdoğan continued as follows: “Imperialists have experienced in Africa that no peaceful future can be built upon blood, massacres and tears. We believe that this very reality will manifest itself in Gaza and Lebanon as well. Those who pursue security by oppressing will be dragged into a much bigger whirlpool of insecurity. We don’t have even the slightest doubt on that. We call on all the conscientious countries to put more pressure on the Israeli government.”
Answering reporters’ questions following his remarks, President Erdoğan, in response to a question about Senegal 2050 National Transformation Programme and Türkiye’s potential support in this sense, drew attention to the joint steps to be taken in higher education, defense industry, infrastructure and superstructure, and underscored that digitalization is also one of the most important areas in this regard.
Asked about Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s expectation of a ceasefire and Israel’s attack in turn, President Erdoğan said the region is going towards a circle of fire, and that obviously, the upcoming period will unfortunately be more problematic in the region.
President Erdoğan voiced his hope that the developments in the region can be taken under control, by the United Nations in particular.