Energy Agreement Signed with Senegal in the Context of Turkey's African Opening

After the Oruç Reis Research Ship started seismic research activities in Somalia, Turkey took another critical step in the context of its African opening with the energy agreement signed with Senegal. In this context, Turkey has intensified its contacts with African countries in the context of energy diplomacy, especially since the last few years. In fact, Senegal has been the last link of Turkey's African expansion, which is one of the most important issues in the context of Turkey's energy diplomacy, having signed strategic agreements with Niger, Egypt, Somalia, Morocco and Algeria covering the fields of energy and mining.

Turkey's Successful Contacts on the African Continent Despite Challenges

Since the last few years, Turkey has signed mining and energy agreements with nearly twenty countries, including Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Angola, Niger, Nigeria, Morocco, Djibouti, Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Libya, Angola, Niger, Nigeria, Morocco, Djibouti, Egypt and Algeria, and has begun to implement concrete cooperation processes with countries where favourable political and economic conditions exist. However, this process should not be characterised as ordinary contacts between the parties. In fact, the energy cooperation contacts that Turkey has developed with African countries, as well as with countries in other geographies, have been realised as a result of overcoming extremely important difficulties and carrying out the process with utmost sensitivity. The fact that the African continent is rich in hydrocarbon resources as well as critical minerals such as uranium, gold, cobalt, lithium and cobalt, which attracts the attention of major economies such as the USA, Russia, China, France and Germany, is an extremely important challenge in itself.

In this context, it is possible to characterise the concrete gains from Turkey's increasingly intensified energy diplomacy contacts with African countries, especially in recent years, as successes achieved as a result of overcoming extremely important challenges. In fact, the sole reason for overcoming these difficulties is proactivity and strategic management, which have become the basic approaches of Turkey's foreign policy understanding in general. However, it is necessary to draw attention to an extremely important factor that supports these approaches. As a matter of fact, the fact that Turkey does not have a colonial past plays an extremely important role in these achievements. As it is well known, Turkey's intensified contacts with African countries, emphasising that it does not have a colonial past and that it has equal relations with the countries of the continent in its struggle against the great powers of the international system that have direct interests in the region, contributes positively to Turkey's success.

Especially in recent years, one of the geographies that Turkey's foreign policy has focussed on is the African continent. In this direction, Africa, which has become increasingly important in Turkey's foreign policy, has entered Ankara's radar, especially in the context of energy diplomacy. In fact, Turkey has already signed agreements with nearly twenty African countries on mineral exploration, oil and natural gas co-operation.

The first of these moves is the Oruç Reis research vessel, which Turkey sent to the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia in recent weeks, has started seismic surveys. Another one is the agreement signed a few days ago with Senegal in the field of energy, oil and natural gas. In fact, these two agreements in particular point to the critical role of energy diplomacy within the scope of Turkey's African opening. In this direction, mentioning Turkey's energy diplomacy contacts in relation to its recent African opening will help to understand this critical role more clearly.

Turkey's African Opening and Energy Contacts

It is seen that Turkey has taken critical steps within the scope of energy diplomacy since the last 10 years. So much so that the fact that concrete gains have started to be achieved in the context of energy diplomacy in recent days is one of the indicators of how critical these steps taken by Turkey are. In this respect, it is witnessed that Turkey has reached a different level in energy diplomacy. As a matter of fact, Turkey has a serious development in the field of energy. However, available data indicate that this development will continue gradually in the coming years.

Some of Ankara's initiatives in the historical process have been the turning points of the development in the field of energy diplomacy. Therefore, it is possible to state that Turkey's contacts with the countries of the continent within the scope of its African opening had a direct impact on its development in energy diplomacy. Perhaps the most important of these turning points is undoubtedly the Agreement on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas in the Mediterranean, signed between Turkey and Libya in 2019. In fact, the agreement in question should not be considered only as a text that protects the rights of the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In this context, it is possible to state that the Agreement on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction in the Mediterranean, signed between Turkey and Libya on 27 November 2019, is an extremely important milestone in Ankara's African opening. The fact that the agreement in question has a very serious repercussion in the international arena supports this idea. In fact, with the agreement signed in 2019, the maritime jurisdiction areas of Turkey and Libya were determined and the first phase of a multi-layered foreign policy approach was completed. As a matter of fact, the transition to the second phase was made with the hydrocarbon agreement signed between Turkey and Libya in October 2022. However, this agreement is also one of the important steps in Turkey's opening to Africa.

The agreement/memorandum of understanding signed with Libya essentially constitutes a framework of cooperation in the field of exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon resources. In this direction, it is seen that energy diplomacy has started to assume critical roles in Turkey's African expansion in the following process. Therefore, we can say that the hydrocarbon agreement between Turkey and Libya is one of the first stages of Ankara's active use of energy diplomacy within the scope of its African opening.

Another milestone in Turkey's African opening process within the scope of energy diplomacy is the LNG supply agreement signed with Algeria in 2023. This agreement is not only an extremely positive development in terms of Turkey's energy security, but also one of the indicators of the role of energy diplomacy in the African opening process. Indeed, the LNG supply agreement signed with Algeria allows Turkey to diversify its energy supply and increase its LNG imports. Accordingly, Turkey has made a major contribution to the natural gas supply with the agreement signed with Algeria and has found the opportunity to take critical steps in the African opening process through energy diplomacy.

Another turning point in Turkey's African opening process within the scope of energy diplomacy is the energy agreement signed between Ankara and Cairo as one of the results of the rapprochement of relations with Egypt, which had come to a standstill. In fact, the fact that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shook hands and met in Qatar, where they travelled for the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup, was considered as the beginning of a new era in Ankara-Cairo relations, which had entered the refrigerator in 2013. In fact, this is a critical development for Turkey's development in the field of energy diplomacy. Indeed, one of the factors that led to the articulation of Egypt with Turkey's normalisation processes with the UAE and Saudi Arabia at that time was the hydrocarbon resources developed in the Eastern Mediterranean since the early 2000s.

Indeed, with the energy agreement signed between the parties on 4 September 2024, it was clearly understood that hydrocarbon resources were effective in the course of relations. In this direction, with the Memorandum of Understanding on Energy signed between Turkey and Egypt, it has been witnessed that energy diplomacy has once again assumed important roles in Ankara's African opening.

Another milestone in Turkey's African opening process within the scope of energy diplomacy was the energy and mining agreements signed with Morocco in 2024. Accordingly, two agreements were signed between Turkey and Morocco. The agreements aim to develop the relations of the two countries in many different energy-related fields, especially renewable energy, energy efficiency, electricity, hydrogen, petroleum, natural gas, mining and critical minerals, and to realise joint projects. In this direction, it is seen that these agreements focus on two different areas in general. The first of these is the LNG issue.

So much so that it is known that Morocco is in search of a solution for LNG. This situation in Morocco has paved the way for Turkey to take an effective step in energy diplomacy. As a matter of fact, as it is known, Turkey has become capable of purchasing a serious LNG, especially with the investments it has made in recent years. This, in turn, paved the way for the signing of the agreement between the parties, thus paving the way for Turkey to make significant gains within the scope of energy diplomacy. In fact, the agreements between Ankara and Rabat aiming to develop strategic co-operation in the fields of energy and mining have enabled Turkey to expand its activities on renewable energy and mining fields in Morocco.

Another milestone in Turkey's Africanisation process within the scope of energy diplomacy was the agreements signed with Nigeria and Angola. In fact, while Nigeria has the world's oil reserves, Angola has 13 billion barrels of oil reserves. In this context, we can say that the agreements reached with both countries are extremely important within the scope of Turkey's African opening. Firstly, three different agreements were signed between Turkey and Nigeria. These agreements include cooperation on energy efficiency, renewable energy and cooperation in the fields of hydrocarbon and mining. In addition, the agreement signed between Turkey and Angola in 2021 includes cooperation in hydrocarbon and mining.

Another milestone in Turkey's African opening process within the scope of energy diplomacy is the agreements signed with Niger. In fact, two important agreements were signed between Turkey and Niger in the field of energy in 2024. First, on 17 July 2024, the two countries signed a ‘Declaration of Intent’ to increase cooperation in the oil and natural gas sectors. signed the agreement. In general terms, the agreement aims to support Turkish companies in the development of Niger's oil and natural gas resources and to strengthen the dialogue between the two countries.

In addition, it is aimed that the relevant institutions and companies will cooperate in Niger in line with a determined timetable. Secondly, a memorandum of understanding in the field of mining was signed between Turkey and Niger on 22 October 2024. In this context, the parties agreed that Turkey's General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) will carry out various mineral exploration activities in the southwest of Niger. In fact, with this initiative, it is envisaged that the mineral reserves in Niger will be analysed in more detail and mining activities will start, especially through geochemistry and geophysics research.

On the other hand, the contacts between Turkey and Niger on MTA date back to previous years. Accordingly, in 2019, the Niger government licensed three fields with high potential for gold mineralisation in the southwest of the country on behalf of MTA International Mining Corporation (MTAIC). In this context, we can say that the agreement signed on 22 October paved the way for concrete steps to be taken in this process. As a matter of fact, the production in these fields is expected to start towards the end of 2024.

Another milestone and one of the most critical stages in Turkey's African opening process within the scope of energy diplomacy is undoubtedly the Hydrocarbon Exploration Agreement with Somalia. As it is known, the hydrocarbon exploration and production agreement between Turkey and Somalia was signed in recent months. In general terms, the agreement allows Turkey to carry out oil and natural gas exploration activities in Somali waters and to carry out exploration in three blocks in Somalia's maritime area.

In addition, this co-operation, announced by the Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, aims to further strengthen Turkey's energy ties with the African continent. Accordingly, the main objective of the agreement is to explore Somalia's marine resources and contribute to its economic independence in the field of energy.

In line with the agreement, the Oruç Reis Seismic Research Ship, one of Turkey's modern research vessels, set sail in September to start its activities off the coast of Somalia. Oruç Reis, which has the capacity to conduct seismic research in Turkey's maritime jurisdictions and neighbouring regions, is equipped with advanced technology equipment produced by Turkish engineers and has the ability to perform high-resolution three-dimensional mapping. Accordingly, Oruç Reis' mission is to collect 2D and 3D seismic data, analyse the geological structure of the region and evaluate potential reserves by processing the data obtained. In addition, Oruç Reis has recently announced that it has started its activities in Somalia in 3 fields of 5 thousand square kilometres each in the seas, especially in the areas where Turkish Petroleum has a licence.

This agreement undoubtedly stands out as a part of Turkey's goals to ensure energy security, but it is also extremely important in terms of increasing Turkey's influence in the global energy order. In this context, it is possible to state that the effective role of energy diplomacy in Turkey's African expansion process has once again been clearly understood. Such that the effect of this role is clearly seen in the agreement signed with Senegal. The agreement with Senegal was signed right after the Oruç Reis Research Ship, one of Turkey's sources of pride in the field of energy, started seismic surveys in Somalia in the east of Africa.

Turkey-Senegal Energy Agreement

The visit of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye to Ankara on 31 October 2024 is a very important development in terms of Turkey's energy diplomacy. Accordingly, the ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Energy and Hydrocarbons between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Senegal’ was signed by Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Yassine Fall, Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs. In general terms, with the memorandum of understanding signed, Turkey and Senegal, perhaps the most stable country in Africa, have agreed to cooperate in the fields of energy, oil and natural gas.

Accordingly, within the scope of the agreement, Turkey will contribute to seismic exploration activities in potential energy fields on land and at sea in Senegal. However, undoubtedly, the scope of the agreement is not limited to the support of seismic exploration activities. As a matter of fact, it has been announced to the world public opinion by the authorities that in addition to supporting seismic exploration activities within the scope of the agreement, co-operation will also be established in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, critical minerals and rare earth elements. From this point onwards, the issues that the agreement will bring to the parties become more evident. In this context, we can say that the agreement in question is a product of a win-win approach.

The scope of gains for Turkey from this agreement signed between Dakar and Ankara is not limited to bilateral relations. With this agreement, Turkey has also seized an opportunity to make extremely important gains in terms of the global energy order. To reiterate, the main gain is the increase in power in energy diplomacy. In fact, increased power in energy diplomacy directly affects Turkey's position in the global energy order. In this respect, there is a possibility that Turkey will start to go beyond being one of the actors of the global energy order that changes according to the conditions of the era and become one of the main building blocks of the functioning function of this system in the future, regardless of its form or structure. As a matter of fact, the actors shaping the energy order today are those who export technological equipment and know-how required for energy activities rather than those who export energy resources. In this direction, Turkey is becoming a powerful actor that can directly influence the functioning of the global energy order day by day, especially with the agreements it has made with the African continent countries such as Somalia and Senegal.

Conclusion

Turkey's energy agreements with African countries are of great strategic, economic and diplomatic importance. In fact, these collaborations serve many different purposes such as increasing Turkey's energy security, strengthening its influence in Africa and utilising potential energy resources in the continent. However, Turkey's energy agreements with African countries go beyond just ensuring energy security and have a multifaceted economic, strategic and diplomatic value. Therefore, in this process, such agreements allow Turkey to diversify its energy supply and contribute positively to the developments in the continent by increasing Turkish influence in Africa.