Zambia’s Honorary Consul in Istanbul, Bulent Goktuna says Zambia and Turkey have established mutually beneficial relations that have continued to grow in recent years.
Dr Goktuna said Turkey regards Zambia as a strategic partner both in the Southern African region and the continent as a whole.
“Turkey and Zambia have established an extremely good relationship and this is accelerated during this period and I am happy that there has been an acceleration of relations in a positive manner,” he said.
He was speaking at the Zambian Chancery in Ankara shortly before handing over a consignment of 12 computers and a laptop worth 166,000 Turkish Lira (US$23,000) to Zambia’s Ambassador to Turkey, Joseph Chilengi.
Dr Goktuna said the high-level reciprocal visits in July 2018 by president Edgar Lungu and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, were a demonstration of the growing relations between the two countries.
He expressed happiness that the reciprocal visits culminated into the signing of 12 bilateral agreements on cooperation in various fields between the two countries.
“I am confident that we will have a further stronger relationship between Turkey and Zambia and this is our target. I am sure that many other good things are yet to come and this is just a part of it,” he said.
He also pledged to work with the Mission to improve relations with countries in the region such as Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile Dr Chilengi thanked Dr Goktuna for the donation and assured that the computers would be put to good use to ensure efficiency in the work of the Embassy.
He also commended Dr Goktuna for his long service to Zambia, which dates back before 2014 when the Zambian Embassy in Ankara was opened.
And Dr Chilengi has unveiled a photo wall display of Presidential portraits of the six Heads of State that have ruled Zambia since independence in 1964.
