Wednesday February 21, 2024
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler (R) shakes hands with his Somali counterpart Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur after signing the defense and economy deal, Ankara, Türkiye, Feb. 8, 2024. (AA Photo)
In a new step toward enhanced cooperation, Somalia's Cabinet approved a defense and economic pact with Türkiye.
The two countries already enjoy close ties and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said the pact was historic.
Ayub Ismail Yusuf, a member of Somalia's Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, told Daily Sabah that the agreement was "a clear indication of the Somali government and people's confidence in a better developmental future with Turkey."
"In fact, this agreement builds on what's already happening on the ground with greater multifaceted cooperation between our two sides and a common approach to addressing challenges and capitalizing on opportunities," he said.
The 10-year pact was signed by Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler during the former's visit to Türkiye earlier this month.
Barre was quoted by media outlets saying that Somalia thanked Türkiye and its people for their steady support for the government and the people of Somalia. In the signing ceremony in Türkiye, Güler reaffirmed that Somalia was an important partner of Türkiye in Africa.
The agreement includes training and equipment for the Somali Navy to help it protect the African country's marine resources and threats such as terrorism and piracy. For Somalia, it will pave the way for more efficient use of its potential economy, from fishing to tourism and energy resources.
Türkiye plays an active role in Somalia, from education to finance, through its nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to companies.
Since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the country in 2011, Türkiye has built an 80,000-square-meter (861,112-square-foot) embassy in Mogadishu, its biggest embassy in Africa. Humanitarian organizations helped avert a famine in 2022 when Somalia witnessed one of the worst droughts in four decades. A pair of Turkish and Somali companies are also building a biogas power plant in Mogadishu to be completed by the end of this year.