Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay a visit to  North Africa including Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia accompanied by businesspeople to improve bilateral relations with African countries between  June 3 and 6.

Erdogan will start his North African trip from Morocco and he is expected to meet with leaders Moroccan leaders and to attend the Turkey-Morocco Business Forum during his visit. 

Turkish and Moroccan businesspeople will come together in the forum which will also be accompanied by  a trade delegation formed by the Association of Independent Industrialists and Businessmen (MUSIAD).

Turkey-Tunisia economic relations have revived since the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which went into effect on January 1, 2006 and trade volume which was $1.02 billion in 2010 is aimed at increasing.

Turkish firms have invested a total of $240 million in Morocco and the economic and commercial enterprise value has exceeded $1.4 billion.

Erdogan in a visit to Algeria will also hold high level meetings and inaugurate the ironworks worth $500 million started by a Turkish firm on June 5 in Algeria's northwestern city of Wahran.

Erdogan will be presented with an honorary doctorate by the University of Algeria. 

Algeria is Turkey's most important trade partner in Africa and Turkey's trade volume with Algeria is $3.8 billion, according to 2010 data. 

Erdogan visited Algeria in 2006 and "Friendship and Cooperation Agreement" had been signed between the two countries. 

Within the framework of broad administrative power granted to local authorities during the Ottoman era between 1514 and 1830, Algerians recall that era as a peaceful period of time when their country could play a dominant role in the Mediterranean.

Erdogan on his visit to Tunisia will meet the Tunisian head of state and Prime Minister as well as business people and he will attend the first meeting of Turkey-Tunisia High Level Strategic Cooperation Council.

Erdogan will cover political, economic and cultural relations as well as regional and international developments during his trip to these three North African countries.

AA