Taiwan to Reopen Representative Office in Cote d'Ivoire

 The Central News Agency in Taipei published on 14 February 2023 an article titled "Taiwan Names Envoy to Ivory Coast as Office Set to Reopen" by Joseph Yeh.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei has named an envoy to head the "Taipei Representative Office in Ivory Coast." Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs operated a Taiwan Economic Bureau in Cote d'Ivoire until it closed in 2017.  This constitutes the reestablishment of commercial relations between Cote d'Ivoire and Taiwan.   

Comment:  Taiwan has full diplomatic relations with only one country in Africa: Eswatini.  In 2020, it established a "Taiwan Representative Office" in the breakaway republic of Somaliland.  Taipei also has trade offices in Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and both a trade and liaison office in South Africa.  Except for Eswatini, none of these offices constitutes full diplomatic relations.  

Turkey's Role in Somalia

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published an excellent analysis on 8 October 2012 titled Assessing Turkey's Role in Somalia. At one point, I believe it suggested Turkey's revived interest in Africa is more recent than is actually the case. Turkey undertook a major effort beginning in 2005 to expand its relations throughout Africa. Its engagement with Africa since then has been extraordinary.

The study concluded that "Somalis of all walks of life refer to Turkey's arrival as a miracle and Godsend. But that honeymoon is ending." ICG added that "Turkey faces incredibly high Somali expectations that will lead to disappointment unless well managed." It then properly warned: "Ankara should be under no illusion that it can continue working solo in Somalia. International actors that have traditionally played the lead role in Somalia are joining Turkey on the ground in Mogadishu. It will need to coordinate its efforts with others to achieve a durable peace in Somalia, because the alternative--poor coordination--will be exploited by Somali politicians, leading to unnecessary duplication and the waste of limited and badly needed resources."

Click here to read the analysis.