The Turkish parliament speaker thanked Namibia for its international stance in condemning Israel's genocide atrocities in Gaza.
"I would like to express that as the Turkish nation, we greatly appreciate Namibia's stance in the international arena against the ongoing atrocities, which have reached the level of genocide, perpetrated by Israel in Gaza for nearly six months," Numan Kurtulmus said on Friday during Namibia National Assembly Speaker Peter Katjavivi’s visit to Türkiye.
Kurtulmus stated that the world is witnessing a historic day for Türkiye-Namibia relations and stressed the "historical significance" of the visit as the "highest-level visit from Namibia to Türkiye."
He underlined Türkiye’s support for Namibian independence since the 1960s and expressed satisfaction in hosting Katjavivi, highlighting his key role in the "liberation struggle."
Kurtulmus emphasised Namibia's significant role in South Africa's apartheid downfall and its crucial support for the Palestinian cause.
Türkiye's new approach towards Africa
Türkiye has made an exceptionally serious effort in "African outreach over the past 20 years," he said.
Kurtulmus highlighted that Türkiye is adopting a "new approach towards Africa," focusing on developing cooperation in "trade, culture, education, and development."
"We observe that our 38 embassies on the African continent are now actively engaged. We aim to increase this number to 50 in the near future," he noted.
Work toward increasing ‘solidarity between the parliaments’
Katjavivi expressed his desire for increased cooperation between the two parliaments and to deepen relations.
He stressed Türkiye’s support in their efforts and said that the two will work toward increasing "solidarity between the parliaments."
Katjavivi, the first Namibian ambassador to Türkiye, believes it is a crucial step toward "future cooperation."
Cooperation protocol signed
The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) and the Namibian National Assembly signed a cooperation protocol to enhance parliamentary cooperation and develop relations between the two countries and peoples.
"Through this agreement, we will ensure that the parliamentary diplomacy activities of the two countries' parliaments are conducted within a closer relationship. I hope that these meetings, which we are conducting at this level for the first time, will be productive and yield positive results," said Kurtulmus.
