Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz has urged conflict-hit African countries to embrace dialogue in efforts to resolve their differences.
In an interview with TRT Afrika on Friday, Yilmaz voiced Türkiye's willingness to facilitate peace restoration in regions affected by conflict.
Sudan has witnessed one of the deadliest conflicts in recent times after war broke out in mid-April 2023. At least 13,000 people have been killed in the war and more than seven million others displaced, documented estimates show.
In the neighbouring Ethiopia, tensions soared recently after Ethiopia signed a sea access deal with Somaliland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia.
Calls for restraint
Regional bloc IGAD has since urged member states to respect Somalia's sovereignty.
The eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has also experienced deadly conflicts that are threatening regional integration.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz has has called for restraint and dialogue to address emerging differences in Africa.
"We should see a more stable and secure Africa," Yilmaz, who attended the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Uganda, said. NAM is a group of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.
"Türkiye has always supported dialogue and diplomacy in resolving these regional tensions, and we will continue to do so," Yilmaz said.
Development
The Vice President says Türkiye is ready to engage Africa in more development projects in efforts to spur economic growth on the continent.
"We believe that the presence of Türkiye in Africa is a win-win situation. We want to increase our trade, investments and ties in different fields. We believe that this will help Africa to mobilise its potential. Sooner or later, we will see a stronger and more prosperous Africa."
Yilmaz also reiterated calls for a more inclusive United Nations, and global financial institutions.
"When you look at the past decades, the inequalities in the world continue to rise. There are lots of political tensions in different parts of the world, and we need a new global architecture in finance, technology transfer, and resolution of regional and bilateral conflicts," he said.
'World bigger than five'
"The current UN system is not capable of addressing these challenges, including economic or political challenges."
Yilmaz said Türkiye's motto, often voiced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is: "The world is bigger than five (countries)." At the UN Security Council, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – who are permanent members – have veto power.
"The realities of the world have changed, but the institutions are old. We have to revitalise these institutions for a more just and fair world that will leave no one behind."
The African Union and the Office of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have said that it is about time Africa had a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.
Israeli war on Gaza
Yilmaz expressed concern that some of the permanent members of the UN Security Council had abused their veto power in the wake of Israeli attacks on Gaza that have killed more than 25,000 Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
"Some powers are not acting in a responsible way to stop the atrocities in Gaza. Most countries in the world, based on numbers, are siding with Palestine in the conflict.
"The UN General Assembly is making some decisions, but unfortunately some countries are vetoing the calls for ceasefire. We have heard many voices against the atrocities in Gaza," Yilmaz said.
The Turkish Vice President welcomed South Africa's move to charge Israel with the crime of genocide over Gaza deaths.
Two-state solution
On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention.
"South Africa's initiative in relation to the genocide against Palestinians is a very critical initiative," Yilmaz said.
"There is a very clear assessment that the atrocities should end. We should have a permanent ceasefire, but also there should be a political process with a two-state solution perspective," the Vice President added, emphasising: "We want to stop this humanitarian crisis (in Gaza) as soon as possible."
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