Herbert Moyo
TURKEY is set to open a separate embassy in Lesotho in a move the country’s Ambassador to Lesotho, Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, says will strengthen diplomatic ties, increase the level of development cooperation and boost economic partnerships.
Ambassador Çomoğlu Ülgen said this in an exclusive interview with the Lesotho Times from her current base in Pretoria, South Africa. She is also ambassador to South Africa and Swaziland.
She chronicled the long history of Turkey-Lesotho relations dating back to 1995, adding that her country expected development cooperation and boost economic partnerships to accelerate once the Turkish government opened a separate embassy in Maseru.
Currently, Lesotho and Swaziland are served by the embassy that is housed in South Africa.
Ambassador Çomoğlu Ülgen revealed that she recently met Lesotho’s Foreign Affairs and International Relations Minister, Lesego Makgothi, on the sidelines of the recent Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Summit in South Africa and the highlight of their discussions was the decision of the Turkey government to open an embassy in Lesotho.
“We met with the Honourable Minister (Makgothi) on the margins of the SADC meeting in Pretoria,” Ambassador Çomoğlu Ülgen said in an interview this week.
“He is the new minister in the new government so my ministry of foreign affairs had called him to congratulate him on his new appointment and we also had a chance to discuss the regional politics and how things were going in the SADC region.
“The highlight of our discussions on the Turkey-Lesotho relations was the decision of the Turkey government to open an embassy in Lesotho and we are waiting for the concurrence of the Lesotho authorities. Once that is agreed then we will start the procedures.”
“It took some time but it’s an important decision which indicates Turkey’s interest in Africa.”
She said the number of Turkish embassies in Africa had quadrupled since 2010 and they now had 40 embassies across the continent.
She also revealed that the economic cooperation agreement signed by the two countries in November last year would be operationalised once it had been approved by the Turkish parliament where it was currently being reviewed.
“The memorandum of understanding for economic cooperation was signed last year November in Istanbul at the time of the previous (Lesotho) government.
“As far as Lesotho is concerned the agreement is in force but for the Turkish procedures it has to be approved by the Turkish parliament. So it’s on the agenda of parliament and we are waiting for them,” she said.
Ambassador Çomoğlu Ülgen has a long diplomatic history dating back to 1993 when she was an Attaché at the Department of European Communities in Ankara, Turkey.
Her curriculum vitae includes diplomatic postings as Political Adviser seconded to the Third Army Corps (NATO High Readiness Corps) in Istanbul; First Counsellor at the Turkish Permanent Representation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in Brussels, Belgium and the most recent being Deputy Director General for Research at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara.
She arrived in Pretoria to take up her new post on 26 February this year and is yet to present her credentials to Swaziland and Lesotho.
She told this publication that some Turkish officials were likely to accompany her to Lesotho when she comes to present her credentials to King Letsie III.
“On that occasion, I will also follow up on some of the on-going humanitarian projects. There is the refurbishment of the Scott Hospital (in Morija in the Maseru district).
“It is an ongoing project and unfortunately it was delayed because the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) has taken over the project.
“TIKA has decided to open up a branch in Pretoria instead of shuttling between Lesotho and Istanbul. Once they open the Pretoria office then more projects will be undertaken in Lesotho.”
She said after the construction of the Scott hospital the next task would be the sourcing of medical equipment.
“Hopefully we will also have King Letsie III visiting Turkey but I think with the opening up of the embassy in Maseru, things will really accelerate between the two countries.”
She said the two countries cooperated at the United Nations (UN) and were likely to meet on the margins of the 72nd UN General Assembly Summit in New York, United States of America from 12 to 25 September this year.
Apart from Lesotho, Turkey will also open another embassy in Swaziland.
