Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Côte d’Ivoire were established in
1964. From 1964 to 2009, Turkish Embassy in Dakar was accredited to Côte
d’Ivoire. Turkish Embassy in Abidjan became operational on 15 November
2009, whereas the first Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire, after Ouattara’s
accession to power, was opened in Ankara in February 2013.
Following the stabilization of the political situation in the country after
the election of Alassane Ouattara as Côte d’Ivoire’s President, significant
high level reciprocal visits were held between Türkiye and Côte d’Ivoire.
Working visit by H.E. Charles Koffi Diby, Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, on 15-16 December 2014 and the official
visit by H.E. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte
d’Ivoire, to Türkiye on 25-28 March 2015 have given a strong impetus to our
bilateral relations. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also paid an official
visit to Côte d’Ivoire on 28-29 February 2016, accompanied by a large
Turkish delegation, including Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Mevlüt
Çavuşoğlu. Within the scope of the visit, nine official documents were
signed between Türkiye and Côte d’Ivoire on a variety of issues ranging from
education, security, economy to technology and development.
The Agreement on Trade and the Agreement on Economic and Technical
Cooperation signed in 2005 constitute the basis of bilateral economic and
commercial relations between Türkiye and Côte d’Ivoire.
Being one of Türkiye’s top six trading partners in sub-Saharan Africa, Côte
d’Ivoire is the largest trade partner of Türkiye in the French-speaking
sub-Saharan region.
The trade volume between the two countries stands at 409,7 million USD in
2019. Total sum of Turkish exports to Côte d’Ivoire is 220,9 million USD,
while imports constitute 188,8 million USD.
Turkish Airlines has been conducting direct flights to Abidjan since July
2012. During the winter period, the flight frequency is 4 times per week.
In the summer season, flights are conducted on a daily basis.
Through Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Türkiye has been
providing Côte d’Ivoire with development assistance in various domains.
TMV has a school in Côte d’Ivoire.
Since 1992, Türkiye is providing “Türkiye Scholarships” to Ivorian students.