Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera on Tuesday hosted a committee from the Turkish Embassy to Zambia, which was visiting the country for diplomatic talks.

The committee, headed by the Turkish ambassador to Lusaka, Istem Cırcıroğlu, also had the chance to organize an event to mark Oct. 29, Türkiye’s Republic Day, for the first time in Malawi, Cırcıroğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Malawi’s parliamentary vice-speaker, along with the transport minister, top dignitaries, foreign diplomats, and other distinguished guests were present at the event, as well, the Turkish ambassador reported.

The Turkish committee also came together with Malawian Foreign Minister Nancy Tembo, Interior Minister Jean Sendeza, Energy Minister Ibrahim Matola, Transport Minister Jacob Hara, and Trade Minister Mark Phiri during their visit, Cırcıroğlu added.

As Türkiye doesn’t operate an office in Malawi, the Embassy of Türkiye in Lusaka, located in Malawi’s northwest neighbor Zambia, has been accredited to the country since 2011. Malawi, meanwhile, is represented in Türkiye through its embassy in Berlin.

Efforts are underway to open a resident Turkish embassy in the capital Lilongwe, which is welcomed by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Cırcıroğlu said they would remain accredited to Malawi until the said office opens its doors.

"We will continue showing that Türkiye keeps Malawi on its agenda through our presence and contacts," Cırcıroğlu noted.

Indeed, Türkiye and Malawi enjoy a longstanding relationship dating back to the 1950s when Türkiye backed an organization that aimed to establish the latter as an independent country, and Malawi, initially known as Nyasaland, became independent under the United Kingdom before gaining full independence as a republic in 1966 and was later renamed as Malawi.

While Malawian foreign ministry officials have paid visits to Türkiye over the years, the Turkish government is yet to perform a presidential or ministerial visit to the African nation. Ankara, however, leads humanitarian efforts and provides development assistance to Malawi in various domains, even granting scholarships to Malawian students for 30 years running.

While working to maintain cordial relations with Malawi, Türkiye has also been leading a fight against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the shadowy group behind the defeated 2016 coup, across the globe, including the African continent where the group owned and operated a network of schools. To ensure these FETÖ-linked institutions do not contribute to acts of terrorism, the Turkish government has been working relentlessly to close or take over the said schools through its Maarif Foundation.

The foundation, founded in June 2016, has since made significant progress across the continent in seizing over 20 schools from FETÖ. It is also present in Malawi and working with local officials to bring what remains of FETÖ under its management.