Sudan lifting visa requirements for Turkish citizens to boost trade

Eker attended the Turkey-Sudan Trade and Investment Forum, organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Monday. TUSKON launched a trade campaign there with 105 Turkish businessmen from 94 companies.

Speaking at the forum, Eker said Sudan could be a gateway to Africa for Turkey's economic expansion. More than 2,000 Turkish businessmen and 80 Turkish companies are active in Sudan, with investments of around $115 million, Eker said. With a population of 40 million, Sudan has the most fertile agricultural lands and the largest herds in Africa.

Eker drew attention to the improving trade relations between the two countries over the last few years, stressing that the trade volume between Turkey and Sudan had risen fourfold over the last three years. “However, we do not find this figure to be adequate. Turkey should become a strategic partner for Sudan. Turkey can undertake this role,” Eker said, adding that they aim to increase the trade volume to $1 billion within three to four years. To achieve this goal, both businessmen and the ministry should work hard, he stated.

A free trade agreement should be signed immediately between Turkey and Sudan in order to further boost trade relations, the minister noted, adding that a draft of a memorandum of understanding was presented to the relevant parties last week and that they expect a date to be assigned for talks in November. Eker said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had announced that they will lift visa requirements for all Turkish citizens in a bid to attract further investment by Turkish businessmen. The improvement of relations between Turkey and its neighboring and Middle Eastern countries has started to bear fruit in Africa, too, he asserted. Work is being carried out by Halkbank and Ziraat Bank officials to resolve problems encountered in money transfers, Eker said, adding that this will also improve financial relations between the two countries. Eker stressed that they have taken important steps to boost trade relations with African countries since 2003, when the government launched a plan to expand into Africa. “Work is under way to open embassies in 10 other African counties. Sub-Saharan African countries being the first, we will open embassies in central and southern Africa,” he said, enumerating the countries where the embassies will be opened as Mozambique, Cameroon, Ghana, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Niger, Angola, Madagascar and Mali.

Speaking at the forum, al-Bashir invited Turkish businessmen to invest in Sudan, saying that it is a rich country in terms of agriculture and water as well as mineral resources. China had previously seen Sudan's potential and expanded into Africa through this country, he said, adding that they want Turkey to do the same. The Sudanese president noted that lucrative investments are available in the fields of corn, sesame and cotton.

“We want to establish a strategic partnership between the two countries. We want Turkish businessmen to invest in not only the agriculture sector but also in infrastructure construction. Regarding this, we discovered that several obstacles exist [for Turkish businessmen to invest in Sudan]. Of them, the most important one is related to visa requirements. This is why I have given instructions to remove visa requirements for all Turkish citizens,” al-Bashir said.

Sudanese Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ismail al-Mutafi, also speaking at the forum, said more than half of Turkish exports go to European Union countries and the US, adding that this is a sign of the high quality of Turkish goods. Al-Mutafi announced that Turkish businessmen will not encounter taxes if they invest in the agriculture sector. Sudanese Finance Minister Awad Ahmed Al-Jaz also urged Turkish businessmen to invest in Sudan as soon as possible, saying it is high time for countries to invest there. “If you come late, you may miss the opportunities Sudan has to offer,” he said.