Speech by President Abdullah Gül, delivered at the Dinner Hosted on the Occasion of the Official Visit of H.E. Ali Mohamed Shein, President of Zanzibar

Mr. President, Dear Brother,
Dear Madame,

Dear Ministers,

Distinguished Guests,
It is a great pleasure for me and for my wife to host Your Excellency, Your Esteemed Spouse and the respectable members of your delegation in Turkey for the second time.

This official visit, which is the first at presidential level from Zanzibar to our country, bears a special value and constitutes a pleasant indication of the importance attached by Your Excellency to the cooperation between our countries.

I sincerely believe that your visit will open a new page in Turkey-Tanzania relations. I am of the conviction that our fruitful meeting today will provide new and important opportunities for the development of our existing cooperation with Zanzibar.

Within the context of our “Policy of opening up to Africa”, we take pride in having opened our first new Embassy in the continent in 2009, in friendly and brotherly Tanzania.

We are pleased with the increase in the reciprocal high-level visits with Tanzania and Zanzibar, as well as with the signing of six agreements between Turkey and Tanzania last year.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Guests,

One of the most important states that the Ottoman Empire had bilateral relations with in Africa in the 19th century was the Zanzibar Sultanate.

Turkey actually has maintained friendly relations with African countries and peoples for centuries. The Turkish people have always fostered a special feeling of sympathy towards the African peoples. Developing our relations with Africa, with which we have historical, spiritual and cultural ties, constitutes one of the priorities of our foreign policy.

In this context, Tanzania and Zanzibar have an exceptional place therein. Especially, with the commencement of direct flights by Turkish Airlines between Istanbul and Dar es Salaam in June 2010, our relations are further strengthening in all areas.

Dear Brother, Mr. President,
Distinguished Guests,

Turkey is aware of the negative effects of globalization, particularly for the least developed countries. In this context, the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) will be held in Istanbul next month.

Turkey, who is hosting this conference, is doing and will continue to do her utmost to be the voice of African countries in the fora in which they are not represented, such as the G-20, as well as to reflect their concerns in the international arena.

Dear Brother, Mr. President,

Distinguished Guests,

I follow and appreciate the achievements of Tanzania and Zanzibar in the areas of democracy and good-governance, as well as social and economic development in the course of recent years.

We maintain our conviction that these practices, which constitute a model for many African countries, will continue in the future in a steady manner, and we sincerely believe that all Tanzanians will reach the level of prosperity that they deserve as soon as possible.

With this understanding, I once again welcome Your Excellency, Your Esteemed Spouse and the distinguished members of your delegation and I wish for the continuity of the well-being and prosperity of our friendly and brotherly peoples.