Tanzanian Ambassador to Ankara Elizabeth K. Kiondo noted yesterday that there have been ongoing talks between Turkey and Tanzania to discuss steps to be taken against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), adding that Tanzania is firmly against any terrorist organization.
"There are some discussions and exchange of information continuing between the Turkish and Tanzanian governments about this particular issue. More information has been delivered to Tanzania about some businesses being linked to FETÖ," Kiondo said at a media luncheon.
She underscored, "The Tanzanian government has been taking this information and will decide on what steps we are supposed to take against the terrorist organization. My government is against terrorist organizations wherever they are in the world."
FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of the police, military and judiciary. Turkey also expects international cooperation regarding the issue as FETÖ attempts to continue its activities abroad.
In relation to bilateral ties between Turkey and Tanzania, the ambassador highlighted that there were high-level visits in the past years and stressed that the two countries can enhance cooperation in various fields.
"Tanzania and Turkey have for many years built strong bilateral relations and it is our duty to sustain and strengthen these relations through constructive engagements," Kiondo said.
Stressing that there have been several slogans used to describe Africa such as "Africa rising" and "Africa is the continent of the future," the ambassador said that these have been coined to express the potential of Africa in terms of its growing young population, growing middle class, extensive infrastructure projects, unexploited natural resources, political will and a leadership determined to transform Africa into an economic powerhouse.
Speaking about opportunities that can be found in Tanzania, the ambassador said that Tanzania expects more investments from countries, including Turkey.
Tanzania is located in the eastern part of Africa and is the largest country in East Africa in terms of land and population. Tanzania is Africa's third largest producer of gold and also has diamonds, gemstones and industrial minerals and is the only producer of the unique mineral Tanzanite, which is only found in Tanzania.
Furthermore, Tanzania is the land of Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and the island of Zanzibar. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, while Serengeti National Park with its wildebeest migration is the largest game reserve in the world.
Tourism is a fast-growing sector, contributing to about 17.5 percent of the GDP, and is one of the priority sectors of the Tanzanian economy.
"Currently, Tanzania is still registered as a low income-country. However, this is bound to change in the near future. The government has an ambitious development agenda to attract investment by creating a conducive environment through improved infrastructure and access to financing," the ambassador said.
She added that Tanzania looks forward to Turkey's contribution to this agenda through increased trade and investment by Turkish companies in areas such as agriculture, agro-processing and foreign direct investment (FDI), especially in the industrial and tourism sectors.
"Apart from significant increases in trade volumes in recent years, we are inviting more Turkish companies to invest in industries to add value to our primary products, generate employment, exploit the enormous Eastern and Central African market in a win-win spirit, which is the key philosophy of Turkey's strategy in Africa," the Tanzanian envoy stressed.