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Africa can be said to be a favorite destination for Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At least from the look of the foreign trips the Turkish President has made in the last years. In 2015 he visited Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti, in 2016 it was Uganda and Kenya on the line. He stopped by six African countries in 2017.

Read more:Turkey to expand business ties with Africa

It is less surprising that Erdogan is once again in Africa since the beginning of the week. This time, the Turkish president is visiting Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal and Mali with a large business delegation and a diplomatic entourage. On Erdogan's trips it's mainlyabout one thing, political and economical influence.

This was seen in his quick stop in Algiers. There he praised the good relations between Algeria and Turkey, but put pressure on the topic of investment protection. Erdogan said that with the help of a bilateral agreement that secures investments in Algeria, trade between the two countries could increase to more than double in the coming years.

Erdogan as leader of the Muslim world?

The striking thing about this year's itinerary is that in all the four host countries, 90 percent of the population is Muslim. It's not a coincidence, according to Cagri zdemir, an editor withDW's Turkish service. "It's easier to engage if a country that Turkey is dealing with has this kind of common ground."

Despite signs of slowing growth, the scope and scale of emerging donor activity has increased markedly over the past few years. According to a study conducted by global development platform Devex, emerging donors could contribute close to 20 percent of total foreign aid by 2020, up from an estimated 7-10 percent in 2012.

With a 2013 foreign aid budget of $7.1 billion (5.93 billion euros), China is not only by far the biggest emerging donor, it's also the sixth-largest in the world. Reaching 121 countries, Beijings program has a clear Africa focus and is a key element of its diplomatic and economic push into the continent. Almost half of Chinas overall foreign aid goes towards infrastructure projects.

The Devex report, which surveyed nearly 1,000 development executives, says emerging donors will continue to boost their foreign aid spending over the next decade. "We are taking efforts to increase steadily the size of our ODA [Official Development Assistance] for several years," the deputy government director for ODA South Korea said in the report.

In 2013, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recorded the largest jump in its development assistance among all donor governments a staggering 435 percent increase. The bulk of UAE's foreign aid goes to majority-Muslim countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The Gulf State is also a major donor to humanitarian crises as far as the Philippines and the Central African Republic.

Russia's re-emerging foreign aid program focuses on health and education and is considered a by-product of its familiarity with the medical and school systems of its development partners in the former Soviet Union. However, Western sanctions over Ukraine begin to take their toll. In Turkey, things look brighter: Ankara's ODA rose more than threefold to $3.4 billion between 2010 and 2014 alone.

The Devex report looked at funding strategies and priorities of eight emerging donors: the BRICS economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as well as South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. At the 2017 BRICS meeting last month in China, the emerging donors urged "developed countries to honor their Official Development Assistance commitments in time and in full."

Even as they contend that their foreign aid programs have global ambitions, emerging donors generally direct the vast majority of their funding toward neighboring regions. India, UAE and South Africa have a particularly sharp focus on their home regions. China, Russia and South Korea are the exceptions to this trend.

Albeit having considerably lower aid flows than its peers, South Africa has been aggressively positioning itself as an emerging donor over the past decade, directing nearly all its budget to the continent 70 percent alone goes towards the Southern part of Africa. According to the Devex report, priorities are peace building, democracy and governance as well as humanitarian assistance.

Author: Benjamin Bathke

Erdogan has been trying for a long time to position Turkey as a protecting power for Muslims in the whole world. A good example is Turkey's strong commitment to the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.

Erdogan had also called for an emergency summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Decemberto denounce the United State's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's Capital. According to Turkey's state-owned television TRT, Erdogan wants to use his current trip to thankAfrican leaders, who voted against the USin the UN Jerusalem vote.

Turkey's role on security

Erdogan describes his current trip as "historical," referring tohis visit in Mauritania and Mali. This is because no Turkish president has ever visited the two West African countries. According to media reports, Erdogan wants to talk about security among other things. Mauritania and Mali have both had to deal with attacks and abduction from Islamic terror groups for years.

Read more:Turkey targets Gulen schools in Africa

Observers are therefore rating his trip also as a sign of Turkey's stronger security policy agreementin Africa. This is because Ankara has long been trying to cement its influence in Africa, not only through development aid and economic cooperation.

The meeting with Algeria's President Bouteflika was about economic cooperation

Cagri zdemir refers to the example of Somalia. "Turkey started engaging with Somalia which is a war-torn country decades ago and started with economic cooperation, with small steps. And over time it started engaging in reconstruction efforts, like a new airport, and some hospitals. It came to a point over the past summer that Turkey opened a military base and deployed a couple of hundred soldiers to trainSomali troops," zdemir said.

Economy is still top on the list

According to zdemir economic cooperation still takes the highest priority for Turkey. "Turkey, when it comes to raw materials, is a poor country," said the journalist. In Algeria it was mainly about stronger cooperation in the oil and liquid gas sector.

Since 2005, Turkey has been aiming for closer ties with African countries. Currently, Ankarahas diplomatic representation in 41 countries on the continent, increasing from 12 missions in 2009. Turkey's foreign trade volume with African countries has increased sixfold in the past fifteen years to more than 14 billioneuros in 2017.

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Turkey's Erdogan seeks more influence in Africa

Her Turkish flag is in her pocket, Mr. Erdogan proclaimed after calling Amine onstage. If she becomes a martyr, God willing, she will be wrapped with it, he said. She is ready for everything, arent you?

Mr. Erdogan has dispatched Turkish forces to the border area of Syria to battle Kurdish militias he considers Turkeys enemies, and has been rallying his country for the fight including in daily public speeches.

The girl, according to Turkish news agency reports, had been attending the provincial congress of Mr. Erdogans Justice and Development Party in a military-style uniform on Saturday.

The Maroon Berets are fighting in Afrin, a Syrian enclave the Turks are trying to take from the Kurds, and when the president noticed the girls beret, he called her to the stage.

Look, look, look, what is there? Girl, what are you doing there? he called out. She held her salute, but her face began to crumple in anxiety as she was lifted out of the crowd to meet the president. Here are our Maroon Berets. Look, we have our own Maroon Berets, Mr. Erdogan said as she crossed the stage.

Mr. Erdogan kissed her on both cheeks, but by then she was in tears.

But Maroon Berets dont cry, the president said.

Amid the applause, supporters in the audience chanted: Chief, take us to Afrin, news agencies reported. Mr. Erdogan thanked the volunteers but said the Turkish Army had professional soldiers to do the job.

Turkey has a longstanding culture of nationalist militarism, with popular slogans such as Every Turk born a soldier. Since the Afrin operation began last month, the government has mounted a national campaign in support of the war, with billboards and banners praising the armed forces and saluting those fallen in battle, who are accorded the honor of martyrs.

Mr. Erdogan recently made an alliance with the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party to bolster his chances for coming elections and has used the military campaign to improve his stance with nationalists.

He makes public speeches every day and sometimes several times a day, peppering his speeches with nationalist and anti-Western jibes as well as poetry and religious sayings, conjuring glories of Turkish history. He vows to protect Turkeys borders and to fight terrorism, and rallies popular support for the war, listing the number of enemies killed and commending the nations martyrs.

Mr. Erdogans remarks to the girl on Saturday drew criticism from some on social media, who felt that the talk of martyrdom was inappropriate for a child so young. Oh my God, I am shocked. Could Erdogan have said the same thing for his grandchild? one user wrote on Twitter.

The mainstream press, which has been increasingly under the thumb of the government, did not focus on the girls tears. Many newspapers showed images of Mr. Erdogan with Amine under his arm. One had the headline, She is ready for anything. Other news agencies reported that Mr. Erdogan had consoled the girl as she cried.

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the status of a 6-year-old girl who appeared onstage with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. She wore a military-style uniform, but is not a cadet.

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Erdogan Tells a Weeping Girl, 6, Shed Receive Honors if ...

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump as they give statements to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, US May 16, 2017. .(photo credit: REUTERS)

ISTANBUL - Turkey told US President Donald Trump on Thursday he could not buy its support in a United Nations vote on Jerusalem, and said the world should teach the United States a "very good lesson" by resisting US pressure.

Trump has threatened to cut aid to countries that support a draft UN resolution calling for the United States to withdraw its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara UN member states should not let their decision in Thursday's vote at the UN General Assembly be dictated by money.

"Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars," he said. "The dollars will come back, but your will won't once it's sold. That is why your stance is important."

Trump's announcement two weeks ago that he was recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital broke with decades of US policy and international consensus that the city's status must be left to Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Last week, Erdogan hosted a special meeting of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, which condemned Trump's decision and called on the world to respond by recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Jerusalem, revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, has been at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in an action not recognized internationally.

Trump's Jerusalem move led to harsh criticisms from Muslim countries and Israel's closest European allies, who have also rejected the move.

A draft resolution calling for withdrawal of Trump's decision was vetoed at the United Nations Security Council by the United States on Monday. Following that vote, opponents of the US decision called for the vote in the General Assembly.

"I hope and expect the United States won't get the result it expects from there and the world will give a very good lesson to the United States," Erdogan said.

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Published time: 20 Feb, 2018 09:20 Edited time: 22 Feb, 2018 07:17

Turkish troops will encircle the Kurdish-held Syrian city of Afrin in the coming days, effectively starting its siege, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told ruling party MPs, local media reported.

Speaking to members of the ruling Justice and Development Partys (AKP) on Tuesday, Erdogan said the city center of Afrin will soon be besieged by advancing Turkish troops and allied Syrian militias, according to Hurriyet.

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Preparations in the field take some time. In the coming days, we will lay siege to Afrin city; its very important that everywhere we go should remain secure, Erdogan said, as cited by Hurriyet. He added: Thanks to the siege, the YPG will have no room for bargaining with the Syrian regime.

Erdogans statement comes as Turkish troops are advancing towards Afrin, liberating village after village. The offensive, codenamed Operation Olive Branch, was launched in January this year with the stated goal of driving the Kurdish YPG militia group deemed a terrorist organization in Turkey out of the area.

On Tuesday morning, the Turkish military said the troops had neutralized 74 Kurdish and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) fighters, increasing the number of slain militants to 1,715.

The ground operation, supported by air- and ground-based fire support assets, continues successfully as planned, it added.

Earlier this week, media reports emerged suggesting an agreement has been reached between the local Kurdish administration and Damascus, under which Syrian pro-government forces would be allowed to enter the area. On Monday, Syrian media reported that government troops would arrive in Afrin within hours.

However, no official confirmation of the news has been announced, with Kurdish officials denying that such an agreement exists.There is no agreement; there is only a call from us for the Syrian army to come in and protect the borders, YPG spokesman Nouri Mahmoud told Reuters by phone on Monday.

Ankara has threatened to confront Syrian forces if they come to the aid of the Kurds, and also dismissed reports on the Kurdish-Syrian deal.

READ MORE:Erdogan: Turkeys Syria op will move to Idlib after mission completed in Afrin

If the regime enters [Afrin] to clear out the YPG, then there is no problem, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, as cited by state news agency Anadolu. However, he added: If they are entering [Afrin] to provide protection to the YPG, then no one can stop Turkey or Turkish soldiers.

Meanwhile, experts say Syrian leader Bashar Assad and his government are now playing a key role in stabilizing the situation in and around Afrin. It is ironic because both the Kurds and the Turks at different times stated their absolute condemnation of the Syrian government and unwillingness to deal with President Assad or his government, Danny Makki, Syria commentator, told RT.

Now both regional actors are looking at Assad as some sort of peacemaker, Makki said. While Turkey, which is losing soldiers and armor, is desperate to end the fighting, the Kurds would prefer to do a deal with Damascus rather than make one with the Turks on very weak terms, he suggested.

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Shortly before Christmas, a highly controversial deal was struck in Khartoum between President Omar al-Bashir and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey was given exclusive rights to rehabilitate the port island of Suakin in northeastern Sudan, with docking rights for Turkish civilian and military vessels on the west coast of the Red Sea.

The former Ottoman port once served as a transit destination for Muslim pilgrims crossing the Red Sea to Mecca, a role that Erdogan hopes to restore under the direct supervision of the Turkish Army.

At first glance, this seems like yet another attempt by Erdogan to reach out to former Ottoman colonies, given his obsession with Turkeys Ottoman past. For the last 15 years, Erdogan has spared no effort at peddling what was often described as neo-Ottomanism, a revival of the intellectual, political, economic and military influence of the former Ottoman Empire throughout the Muslim world.

Aerial view of Suakin Island in 1930 with Condensor Island in the foreground and El Gerf with its enclosing defenses behind. Photo: http://www.thearchitecturestore.co.uk

The now abandoned Sudanese island was once the military headquarters of Ottoman Sultan Selim I, back in 1517. The Ottomans were forced to relinquish it to British colonialists, who set up their own base in 1883-1885. It suffered a long march into history after Port Sudan was established in 1922, and by 1939 Suakin had been all but deserted left to crumble and rot until Erdogan came along in 2017 promising to put it into use once again.

The agreement to revamp Suakin is part of a broader deal between Erdogan and Bashir, estimated at US$650 million, which involves building a new airport at Khartoum and investing in Sudanese cotton production, electricity generation, and grain silos.

Saudi Arabia is furious about the deal, and with good reason. First, it brings Turkish troops dangerously close to Saudi territory, given the Sudanese islands proximity to theport city of Jeddah. Second, Riyadh believes that Erdogan doesnt have the money to pursue such an ambitious program in Sudan, arguing that he will use Qatari funds to expand into Arab territories.

In other words, they believe Suakin is actually being handed over to the Qataris, rather than the Turks. Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been at daggers-end since last June, over Dohas alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood and its open support of Iran.

Seven years ago, Saudi Arabia and Turkey found themselves on the same side of the Syrian conflict, both committed to regime change in Damascus, but more recently they parted ways over Turkeys blatant support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, after they were ejected from power via Abdel Fattah Sisis coup in the summer of 2013.The Saudis were already furious with Turkeys warming relations with Tehran, and expected Erdogan to support their standoff with Qatar, especially after setting a long list of demands that Doha was asked to accept. They included changing editorial policy of the Doha-based Al-Jazeera TV and expelling the Muslim Brotherhood from Qatar.

But rather than apply pressure on Doha, Erdogan chose to back the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in his feud with King Salman, breaking the Saudi-imposed embargo by allowing Qatari flights into Ankara and sending 5,000 Turkish troops to Doha in order to deter any Saudi adventurism in regard to its gas-rich tiny neighbor.

The Halaib Triangle is seen on the Egypt/Sudan border with Port Sudan and Suakin below. Graphic: Wikipedia/Asia Times

Egypt is equally upset with Turkeys new base on the Red Sea. Cairo feels that Erdogans port in Sudan might awaken Khartoums ambitions over the Halaib Triangle on the Red Sea. For more than 60 years, Egypt and Sudan have quarreled over the disputed territory, which both claim to have sovereignty over. In the 1990s, Egypt deployed troops to the Halaib Triangle, hoping this would put an end to Sudanese claims.

But with Turkish military support, Omar al-Bashir might reconsider his dtente with Cairo over the Triangle. That, of course, follows the souring of ties between Cairo and Ankara over Erdogans support for former Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, now in an Egyptian jail.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan kisses a little girl on the cheek as he walks with the President of Sudan Omar Al-Bashir during his visit in Port Sudan on December 25, 2017. Erdogan toured Suakin Island on the second day of his visit. Photo: AFP/ Anadolu/ Kayhan Ozer

Other countries are watching Erdogans ambitious undertakings with alarm. In the three years since the start of the Saudi-led war on Houthi militants in Yemen a race has been underway for security bases and pockets of economic and political influence along the Red Sea, especially after Iran took the port of Al Hudaydah in Yemen, via the Houthis, which spread terror throughout the Gulf. From there, they threaten to meddle further in the affairs of the Gulf states, namely Saudi Arabia.

Last February, the Emirates set up their own base in the port of Berbera in the breakaway republic of Somaliland, two years after building a naval base in Eritrea. Both have been vital for the Saudi war on the Houthis. In October, Erdogan erected his own base in Somalia, after China established one for its navy in Djibouti.

Elsewhere along the Red Sea, Jordan still controls the Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt still manages the Gulf of Suez, while the Riyadh-backed Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi remains in control of Bab al-Mandab and Aden, all aimed at blocking further Iranian advances.

This wide assortment of overseas bases is a novelty in international affairs.Throughout the Cold War, only the US and Russia had this sort of military influence outside their geographic boundaries. Countries like China and the UAE never thought of expanding militarily in such a manner.

Turkey and Iran, however, always had that ambition and were constantly in search of re-entering former colonies or satellite states. Interestingly, while Iran, Turkey, China and the UAE are all trying to cement their influence on the Red Sea, the Russians have no permanent presence there, and the Americans whose ships sail through the sea on a daily basis have a base just south in Djibouti. They are not anchored in the Red Sea the Fifth Fleet is based in the Gulf and the SixthFleet is in Naples in the Mediterranean, leaving that stretch of territory open for other countries to covet and occupy if they dare.

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