South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Benjamin Takpiny
The Turkish Ambassador to South Sudan, Erdem Mutaf has expressed his joy and pride as Turkish community prepares to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye with their distinguished friends from South Sudan, Diplomatic Corps and international community.
The Dawn Newspaper spoke to Erdem Mutaf about the bilteratal relations between South Sudan and Türkiye and other devepolemental projects, Below are excerpts of the interview.
Thank you very much for your interest to interview me before my final departure from South Sudan.
First of all, I would like to express our joy and pride as we are celebrating the 101st anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye today, with our distinguished friends from South Sudan, Diplomatic Corps and international community. Our National Day event today will also be my final meeting with many friends as I will be leaving South Sudan shortly after almost 4 years of service as the Turkish Ambassador. I am grateful to all who have extended their friendship and cooperation during my tenure in Juba.
QN.Could you tell us about yourself and what led to your appointment as the Ambassador of Türkiye to South Sudan?
ANS:I have been working as a diplomat for 32 years and up to now I have been to 7 countries in 3 different continents. Before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I did my BA in International Relations and MA in Jean Monnet Institute of European Studies, after that I also worked in private sector for some years. In my past career, I served in South Africa. That led to my appointment to South Sudan.
QN. Can you describe the current state of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and South Sudan?
ANS:Türkiye and South Sudan enjoy very close and cordial diplomatic relations for the last 14 years. Türkiye opened her first representation office as Consulate General in Juba before the independence in 2011, since then we have been serving without any interruption which means that our Embassy was also open during the civil wars in 2013 and 2016 with all its staff including the Ambassador. In fact, our bilateral relations with South Sudan dates back to the 19th century, the Ottoman period. The historical and cultural ties going back to this time constitute a strong basis for today’s bilateral relations and human- to -human contacts between our countries. In some regions of my country there are villiages populated by peoples of African origin including the Sudan geography who migrated during the past centuries.
QN. What are the key areas of cooperation between Türkiye and South Sudan, and how do you envision expanding these areas in the future?
ANS: We have a full-fledged Embassy here in Juba including political section, consular office, trade office and accredited military attache office together with our aid agencies such as TIKA and Turkish Red Crescent, that means, we do not follow only the peace process in the country, but we have multifaceted ties with South Sudan in many fields. Our first and foremost objective is to help South Sudan in her path to be a peaceful, secure and prosperous country and also to improve our bilateral relations with her as equal partners. In the same vein, we have been supporting the peace process as an observer country and also a member of IGAD Partners Forum.
Before and during my tenure, we implemented many capacity building projects in cooperation with public and private institutions, let me mention a few I recall right now,
We trained 85 diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and implemented many projects with Ministries of Interior, PeaceBuilding, Labour, Health, Transportation and Civil Aviation Authority, Education, Gender and Child, Agriculture, Defence and Veteran Affairs, Roads and Bridges, Higher Education, Information and Communication. We have also worked with UN institutions and NGOs like UNHCR, South Sudan Red Cross, South Sudan Islamic Council etc before and during my tenure.
Among them I would like to mention that we upgraded operation rooms of the Juba Teaching Hospital with brand new medical equipments in 2007, long before the independence and donated ambulances to this hospital and trained medical staff in Ankara in cooperation of the Turkish Ministry of Health to enable them use these new medical equipments.
And also last year’s donation of 75.000 set of military uniforms and related materials like shirts, belts, boots etc. to the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Afairs should be considered among others as Türkiye’s direct contribution in terms of Chapter 2 of the Revitilized Peace Agreement.
Türkiye is among the donor countries of UNMISS, IGAD and R-JMEC with her annual financial contributions to these institutions. We have also a Turkish police contingent serving in this country under the UNMISS/UNPOL mandate.
Additionally, we have proposed many agreements to the Ministries in different areas to diversify our existing cooperation. Some have been signed and finalized but some are still pending.
QN. What steps have been taken to enhance economic and trade relations between Türkiye and South Sudan?
ANS: We have supported now flourishing South Sudanese private sector by helping them establish links with their counterparts from theTurkish private sector. As a result of this policy, we have been witnessing opening of many small and medium- sized enterprises across the country, which means many South Sudanese have had opportunity to improve their living conditions. We have launched direct flights between İstanbul and Juba with Turkish Airlines by connecting South Sudan with more than 130 countries. We have launched direct cargo system through these flights. We signed Economic Cooperation Agreement and proposed bilateral investment promotion agreement.
The Turkish private companies are working in many states to upgrade and build infrastructure, roads, bridges, hospitals, apartments etc. Since I had experience in private sector before assuming my career as diplomat, I have always worked with business people very closely and helped them overcome their difficulties. During my tenure in South Sudan as well, I tried to solve problems they have encountered. Despite the economic challences in the country, they have done very good job so far.
As a result of our efforts, the bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and South Sudan reached up to 30 million USD by the end of 2023, while it was around 6 million USD, when I assumed my duty as the Ambassador in 2021. I hope this figure will be better at the end of 2024.
QN. Are there any major Turkish investments or projects currently underway in South Sudan? If so, could you provide some details?
ANS:I am honoured to announce that the total figure of all projects and investments, that the Turkish companies have taken role as constructor or sub-constructor during the last 14 years has reached 2 to 3 billion USD in South Sudan. We have still some more projects waiting for approval, one of which is 3 power stations and a cement factory, altogether worth of 365 million USD. The South Sudanese authorities have been expressing interest to work with Turkish companies on railway projects. We have a Turkish company which is now working to construct a 5-star hotel in Juba. They have also a plan to operate it after the completion. The hotel will be opened in the first half of 2025. Last week another Turkish company opened their investment in the culinary sector in Juba, and ethey have mployed many young South Sudanese. We have some more projects that will be announced in due time.
QN. How important is cultural and educational exchange in fostering better relations between the two countries, and what programs or initiatives are in place to promote this?
ANS: We attach great importance to cultural interaction between peoples of our countries. As I mentioned earlier, our cultural ties date back to the Ottoman era. When Sudan was part of the Empire, naturally there was freedom of movement across the Ottoman territories. Therefore today we have some regions in Türkiye that are mostly populated by immigrants of Sudanese descent who migrated to Anatolia centuries ago. Thanks to Turkish Airlines direct flights, I am very happy to acknowledge that we have enhanced our cultural exchange during the last 2 years. We have a cultural cooperation agreement with South Sudan which is in the pipeline to be signed shortly. This agreement will contribute to our bilateral projects in cultural field.
During the last 10 years, we have been granting Türkish scholarships to high school graduates to study for bachelors, masters and PhD studies in Turkish universities. These scholarships are fully funded including university fees, air transport cost, accomodation, boarding and even pocket money. Up to now, nearly 250 students have been selected for these scholarships from South Sudan. When they graduate from their faculties, all of them speak fluent Turkish and become familiar with the Turkish culture. These student are the cultural bridges between our countries. Three weeks ago, we had a farewell function for 2024-25 grantees, during which I witnessed with great pleasure the words of one of the alumni that Turkish society have warmly welcomed them during their stay.
When it comes to exchange of academicians, I should say that our bilateral agreement with the Ministry of Higher Education is pending to be ratified by the South Sudan cabinet. Once it is done, we will start to exchange academicians between our countries.
QN. Türkiye has a reputation for being active in humanitarian aid. Could you speak about any ongoing or planned humanitarian projects in South Sudan?
ANS: Since Turkish missions assumed their duties in Juba before the independence of South Sudan, we have been implementing many humanitarian projects across the country worth of millions of dollars. The last one was the donation of essential food items to 500 families on 8th October who fled the Sudan conflict to Juba.
QN. How does Türkiye support South Sudan in its development goals, particularly in areas like education and infrastructure?
ANS: In all sectors you mentioned we have proposed or signed framework bilateral agreements with South Sudan. Some need to be ratified and we encourage South Sudanese authorities to finalise these agreements so that our interaction and cooperation in these areas would be more fruitful.
I mentioned our Türkiye scholarships earlier. I pursued the project of setting up an international school in Juba for the last 3 years with all relevant authorities here. We allocated funds, we signed the agreement, and we even prepared the architectural plans. I am sure my successor will be finalizing this project.
Infrastructural projects are carried out by the Turkish Development Agency (TIKA) in different sectors. Our private sector is also working on these projects.
QN. How does Türkiye navigate its relationships in the East of Africa? And what role does Türkiye see itself playing in supporting peace and stability in South Sudan and the wider Horn of Africa region?
ANS: Türkiye acts in full responsibility to alleviate the hunger and food insecurity that affect the countries in Africa. Various Turkish government institutions and non-governmental organizations are active in the region. Our aid agencies have also been pursuing projects to this end.
The developments in Sudan are of great concern for us, as the devastation of the country and humanitarian consequences are deepening each passing day. The conflict is not only threatening the unity and social fabric of the country, but also poses a risk for regional stability. We support all regional and international initiatives aimed at ending the conflict; easing the human suffering and preserving Sudan’s unity, stability and security. We should not let Sudan slip from the attention of the international community and act together to convince the parties to a negotiated solution.
Türkiye, as a trusted friend of Ethiopia and Somalia, and a country which has invested heavily in peace and stability in the region, wishes to change the course of the ongoing tensions between these countries towards a “win – win” balance. In that regard, the Foreign Ministers of Ethiopia and Somalia met on 1st of July upon the invitation of our Foreign Minister H.E Hakan Fidan. On the 12th and 13th of August, we concluded the second round of the Ethiopia-Somalia Talks in Ankara. The Ankara process continues and bilateral talks are still ongoing. The parties reiterated their commitment to adhere to the process at latest meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on 26 September 2024.
QN. Looking ahead, what are the priorities for the Turkish Embassy in South Sudan over the next few years?
ANS:We will continue to help South Sudan in the next period to enable her to be a peaceful, secure and prosperous country through the peace process. Peace and stability in the country as well as quality education, women empowerment, childcare and supporting youth will continue to be among our priorities over the next years.
QN. Are there any upcoming events or initiatives that you are particularly excited about or that you would like to highlight?
ANS:In fact, the establishment of an international school and opening the first Turkish 5-star hotel are the projects of which I am particularly excited. But considering that I am leaving South Sudan shortly, I would be following these development from Ankara.
QN. What has been the most rewarding moment as Ambassador to South Sudan so far?
ANS:The most rewarding moment, I should say, was to witness the landing of the first Turkish Airline direct flight on the Juba International Airport on 1st June of 2022. I am the fifth Turkish Ambassador in Juba. All my predecessors paid efforts to see Turkish Airlines in Juba Airport before, but I was the lucky one who achieved this.
I have many momentous events during the launching ceremonies of our humanitarian and capacity building projects that our aid agencies have carried out in the country. Without exception, I joined all these events personally and everytime when I meet South Sudanese people, women and children I enjoyed their great welcome and I saw happiness on their faces. These were among the most rewarding moments for me.
QN. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your mission here or any message you’d like to convey to the people of South Sudan and Türkiye?
ANS: I am leaving South Sudan shortly with unforgetable memories after nearly 4 years of service. My mandate was not only serving to my country, but to South Sudan as well. Starting from H.E the President Salva Kiir Mayardit to the payam level, I have always enjoyed great support and cooperation by all South Sudanese authorities and people to which I am deeply grateful.
Personally, as Ambassador I have worked with great enthusiasm to witness the first general elections in the country in December 2022 and then after the extention in December 2024. However the peace process is once more extended and Türkiye supported this extention as well, as a member of IGAD Partners Forum, as she did in the previous one. From now on, it is my sincere wish to see during this extended period, the Government of South Sudan would to do its best to bring peace, security and prosperity to its well-deserved people.
Taking this occasion, I extend my deepest respect and best wishes to South Sudan and to her beautiful people for their friendship and cooperation they have extended to me and to the Turkish Embassy during the last 4 years. South Sudan and my dear friends will always have a special place in my heart.
