Visit of Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to the Republic of South Africa and Official Inauguration Ceremony of the Consulate General in Cape Town, 9 – 10 January 2023, Cape Town-Johannesburg
Visit of Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to the Republic of South Africa and Official Inauguration Ceremony of the Consulate General in Cape Town, 9 – 10 January 2023, Cape Town-Johannesburg

As the first part of South Africa visit, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited Noor el Hamidiye Mosque on 8 January 2023 in Cape Town, which has the name of Sultan Abdulhamid II and where the restoration works were undertaken by TIKA,

Following the visit to the Mosque, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited the Tana Baru Muslim Cemetery, where Ottoman Scholar Sayyid Abu Bakr Effendi rests, who had been sent to Cape Town in 1862 upon the instructions of Sultan Abdulaziz, to provide services to the Muslims.

Afterwards, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with the citizens in Cape Town. Beverly Schäfer, Deputy Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Government, also attended the meeting.

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu, officially inaugurated the Consulate General in Cape Town on 9 January 2023, with the participation of Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape Government.

On the same day, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited the the Braamfontein Cemetery, where Mr. Mehmet Remzi Bey, the last Ottoman Consul General, rests. Minister underlined that this part was one of the most touched part of the South Africa visit and continued to explain that his grave was brought back to Braamfontein Cemetery, where it belonged, with the initiatives of Türkiye and his grandchildren.

On the second day of the programme (10 January) in Pretoria, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu, had a meeting with Dr. Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa.

Following the meeting, a joint press conference was held.

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu stated that, they discussed Ukraine, Ethiopia & other regional and global developments and we will enhance our economic cooperation with South Africa on the basis of our strategic partnership with the African continent.

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu launched of the Maarif Türkiye Research Center at University of Pretoria and stated that the cooperation in education with South Africa will continue.