Turkiye, Djibouti ruling parties sign political partnership agreement

The ruling parties in Turkiye and Djibouti have signed a political partnership agreement in an effort to strengthen bilateral relations, as Ankara continues to expand its influence throughout eastern Africa.

On Monday, Turkiye’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Djibouti’s People’s Rally for Progress (RPP) agreed to cooperate on political partnership, in a ceremony which saw AKP’s Vice Chairman Zafer Sirakaya and Djibouti’s Finance Minister and RPP Secretary-General Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh sign a memorandum of understanding toward that.

Honored Signing an strategic partnership, between #RPP & #AkParti, With my good friend @SirakayaZafer Vice-Chairman of @Akparti and Chairman of External Affairs. #Djibouti and #Turkey shares a longstanding common history, and our bilateral ties stronger than ever.
Following the… pic.twitter.com/zhnFic6PFJ

— Ilyas M. Dawaleh (@Ilyasdawaleh) February 17, 2025

Hailing the signing of the agreement on X, Dawaleh emphasised that Turkiye and Djibouti share “a longstanding common history, and our bilateral ties [are] stronger than ever.”

Sirakaya called Djibouti one of Turkiye’s “strategic partners in the Horn of Africa”, and stated that the partnership “aims to enhance interparty cooperation and strengthen bilateral relations”, as well as “to further strengthen our economic, trade, and cultural ties”. He stressed that “We place great importance on our relations with Africa.”

The political partnership between the two countries’ ruling parties comes at a time when Ankara continues to steadily expand its influence and footprint throughout eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa region, striking a number of deals in multiple sectors over the past five years.

It also notably comes as Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf was elected as chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), potentially further signalling the Turkish government’s intent to ensure closer ties within the continent and its political networks.

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