Friday March 22, 2024
Turkiye is strengthening its presence in the Horn of Africa, as over the span of a month the nation made two deals with Somalia in the areas of defence and energy. This comes at a time of growing tensions in the region, as the US and UK keep retaliating against Houthi rebel attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. But Somalia is also against a controversial Ethiopan-led port deal, one that's had the country seek assistance from Ankara to support its maritime security. But the latest deal between the two nations is about oil and natural gas exploration in Somalia's land and sea blocks.
The Turkish energy minister and his Somali counterpart signed the agreement in Ankara. Turkiye, has long provided financial and humanitarian support to Somalia, where it has a military facility it gives training to the Somali army. Ankara also supports Mogadishu in its dispute with landlocked Ethiopia, as Addis Ababa had signed a deal with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland, which will give it access to the sea.
While Somalia's parliament has approved the defence and economic cooperation agreement with Turkiye, a security deal with the United Arab Emirates is yet to be ratified since last year.
Strait Talk, hosted by Ayse Suberker, is TRT World’s programme that features in-depth analysis of Türkiye’s role in the world. Guests: Thomas O'Donnell Global Fellow at Wilson Center Federico Donelli Assistant Professor at University of Trieste