by Meltem Buyukkarakas
Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Botswana

Having completed my tenure of four (4) years as Ambassador of Türkiye to Botswana which started on 25 January 2019, it is now time to return back home to Türkiye.

It has been an honour to represent my country and the Turkish people, as the second Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye in Gaborone since the opening of the Turkish Embassy in 2014.

Botswana stands out in the Southern Africa region as a stabilizing factor, with its exemplary democracy, political stability and economic strength.

I feel privileged to have served in this friendly, democratic and peaceful country while working on a constructive agenda. My first year of duty, 2019, witnessed general elections in Botswana which were conducted peacefully and democratically.

The world witnessed dramatic and unprecedented challenges for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, our lives changed fundamentally.

We had to adjust to new rules, restrictions and changed working conditions. Despite all the challenges, I also observed the quick response of the Botswana Government to save lives through
vaccination campaigns and to protect the livelihoods of its citizens through various economic programmes.

During my tenure, despite the pandemic, I had the opportunity of visiting many regions of Botswana and was captivated by its distinctive natural beauties. I have seen how conservation
of environment, wildlife and natural resources are close to the heart of the people of Botswana.

I learned more about the history, culture and the inspiring success story of Botswana. I have observed many similarities in our cultures such as respect, tolerance, solidarity and dialogue.
Relations between Türkiye and Botswana have been very cordial since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1981, based on equal partnership and shared values.

During the last four years, together with my team at the Embassy, I have worked hard to strengthen our relations and identify new areas of cooperation to the benefit of our peoples.

We focused on facilitating new business partnerships on a win-win basis, increasing people-to-people contacts, opening up new channels of communication in every field and at all levels and
advancing the already existing relationships.

We also built some bridges through Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency’s (TIKA) assistance programmes in Botswana.
The third year of my tenure, 2021, marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations.

The same year, we held the Türkiye-Botswana Joint Commission for Cooperation meeting at the Ministerial level. The Agreed Minutes signed during this meeting serve as a Road Map of cooperation including trade and industry, science and technology,
education, health, tourism, agriculture, infrastructure and support to SMMEs, among others.

The bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and Botswana does not reflect the real potential of both countries’ economies and the positive nature of our relations. However, I had the opportunity to witness a fast-growing mutual interest from the private sectors of both countries to do business together.

There is much potential in diverse areas of health, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, mining, infrastructure and defence among others.

We believe that Botswana Government’s Reset Agenda and transformation and diversification drive will open up new avenues of cooperation between our countries.

Recently, the umbrella organisations of Turkish and Botswana private sectors; namely, Business Botswana, Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association – BEMA and Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board – DEIK signed a cooperation agreement in order to establish a Business Council to serve as a direct platform of cooperation and exchanges, with the purposes of promoting trade, investments, industrial and technological collaboration on win-win basis.

I am confident that the forthcoming meetings of Business Council, mutual visits of our business people will pave the way for new partnerships to the mutual benefit of our nations.

We also prioritised investing in youth and education through Turkish Government scholarships granted to young Batswana and establishing links between universities of both countries.

In recent years, despite the challenges in the education sector caused by the pandemic, we were able to send Batswana students to study in Turkish universities in various academic areas.

In 2021, Türkiye and Botswana signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which foresees cooperation and exchanges between the Universities of the two countries and more scholarship
opportunities.

I hope Türkiye will become one of the top destinations for young Batswana in higher education in the coming years.

There are also several agreements of cooperation in priority areas such as education, health, agriculture, energy, prevention of double taxation, visa waiver for official passports and others which will help to strengthen the legal basis of our relations.

I am leaving behind an enlightening and educational four years. It has been a great experience to serve in such a beautiful and welcoming country. I have made some wonderful friendships
that I hope to last a lifetime and I feel privileged to have called Botswana my home for the last four (4) years.

I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all officials from various Ministries and institutions, and people in Botswana from every corner of life for their assistance, cooperation and friendship.

I believe that Türkiye and Botswana will remain true friends and that our relations will continue to produce concrete and mutually beneficial outcomes for our peoples.

I will always keep this beautiful country and its people in my heart.

(C) The PanAfrikanist