Analysis of perspective of diplomatic communication on the foreign policy of Turkey towards African countries

Sovereignty of nation-state theory has entered the discipline of international relations after the 1648 Westphalia Agreement. With this agreement, the anarchic environment has been controlled to some extent in international relations. With the Westphalian Treaty, independence in the sovereignty, equality and non interference in the internal affairs of the states has been met by international relations. It is an important point for international relations that states are defined as political entities with a certain geographical area, a certain population, and the recognition and sovereignty of other states. Turkey, as the heir of the Ottoman Empire and political continuity, has found international character. The payment of the financial debts of the Ottoman Empire by Turkey is a condition of this political inheritance and continuity. From this point of view, it should be noted that the relations between Turkey and African countries have a long historical background and ties. The African continent has a very rich geography of culture, ethnicity and language. Due to its rich resources and distance from the industrial revolution, it has been subject to colonization of western civilizations, especially between 1881 and 1914. In the second half of the 20th century, the decolonization process and modern states of Africa emerged. Africa is considered to be the poorest continent despite its young population and its wealth of minerals. The richness of both material and human resources makes Africa a continent that draws attention of developed countries. 6 Turkey has begun to attach importance to the relations it has ignored up to the beginning of the year 2000, especially in the framework of the "African Opening Plan", and has begun to acquire a different dimension to Africa. Today it is possible to say that the countries of Africa have become new strategic partners. The aim of this study is to evaluate the developing African-Turkey relations in general and to analyze Turkey's foreign policy towards African countries using data from TASAM African Institute and African Ministry of Foreign Affairs using interview method. In this context, the aim is to contribute to the literature by assessing Turkey's position in foreign policy, African expansion in Turkish foreign policy, Africa in relation to economy, health and education, and the future of these relations.