Welcoming Zambian leader, Gul stresses results of Turkey's African outreach

Welcoming his Zambian counterpart for an official visit yesterday, President Abdullah Gul spoke of the concrete results Turkey is seeing from its outreach to Africa in recent years. "Of course (our) relations (with African countries) have gotten stronger not just on the basis of economics, business and political ties, but also for humanitarian reasons," he told reporters. Gul also said Turkey is set to open an embassy in Zambia. For his part, Zambian President Rupiah Bwezani Banda said he wants his country to work more closely with Turkey. In addition to his own visits to several African countries this year, Gul has also welcomed leaders from such countries as Uganda, Tanzania, and Mauritania.