Turkey, DRC ink defence and transport deals as Erdogan visits Kinshasa
Monday February 21 2022
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi (left) with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Palais de la Nation (Palace of the Nation), in Gombe, Lukunga district of Kinshasa, on February 20, 2022. PHOTO | ARSENE MPIANA | AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday for a two-day official visit.
He held one-on-one talks with President Félix Tshisekedi at the national palace. Erdogan, who travelled with Turkish businessmen and some members of his cabinet, did not issue a statement after the meeting.
However, President Tshisekedi, through his communications team, said he was satisfied with the bilateral cooperation between the two countries. According to him, Turkey and DRC signed agreements touching on defence, transport, infrastructure and several others in the economic field.
Erdogan's visit to the DRC follows President Tshisekedi's to Turkey in September 2021, where the two Heads of State held bilateral talks in Ankara. In October the same year, a large delegation of Turkish entrepreneurs came to Kinshasa and met with Prime Minister Sama Lukonde. They had shown interest in investing in various sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, energy and trade.
Later that year, Presidents Tshisekedi and Erdogan met again on the sidelines of the Turkey-Africa summit in December.
At the time, the two countries had concluded three cooperation agreements focusing on the promotion and mutual protection of investments between the governments, prevention of double taxation on income and the prevention of tax evasion between the governments, and on tourism.
The DRC and Turkey are significantly increasing their trade volume. According to official figures, in 2018 their trade volume stood at $36.5 million.