Somali President Hasan Sheikh Mohamud credited Türkiye with helping Somalia build lasting capacity, saying Ankara chose to strengthen the country’s institutions rather than offer aid that would provide only temporary relief.
Speaking at the Presidential Palace at a ceremony commemorating the 15th anniversary of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 2011 visit to Somalia, Mohamud said the trip marked a turning point in relations between the two countries.
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“Türkiye’s support for Somalia was not about giving us fish, but teaching us how to fish,” he said.
Mohamud said Somalia and Türkiye had longstanding ties, but Erdogan’s visit amid Somalia’s deep humanitarian crisis in 2011 reshaped the way the international community engaged with the country.
Erdogan, then prime minister, arrived with his family, ministers and lawmakers. Mohamud recalled that the delegation went beyond formal meetings, saying Erdogan even stopped his car to talk with children playing along the road.
Erdogan visit brought schools, hospitals and hope
After the visit, Mohamud said, Erdogan ordered the construction of schools and hospitals. Facilities built with Turkish support later became models for Somalia and countries across the region, he added.
Mohamud also remembered Erdogan’s insistence on visiting refugee camps despite warnings about the security risks.
According to Mohamud, Erdogan replied: “Take me there. I will not die on a day other than the day I am meant to die.”
Erdogan and first lady Emine Erdogan visited the camps and met children living there. Mohamud said their presence delivered more than humanitarian aid, giving hope and renewed morale to people enduring desperate conditions.
Türkiye’s contribution to Somalia’s human development has also included support for young people seeking secondary and higher education in Türkiye.
Mohamud said Turkish cooperation now extends to Somalia’s natural resources. Seismic exploration and drilling vessels have reached the country, while Somali personnel are receiving training for jobs in the oil industry.
He said Türkiye’s security assistance had reinforced Somalia’s campaign against al-Shabaab, an armed group the country has fought since 2007.
African Union forces initially fought alongside Somali troops and helped drive al-Shabaab from Mogadishu. More recently, Turkish training and equipment have supported major advances by Somali security forces.
“Türkiye both trains our soldiers and provides the equipment they need,” Mohamud said. “This has changed many things both for our security and for our fight against the terrorist organization al-Shabaab.”
Türkiye could have given Somalia the millions of dollars it has invested directly, Mohamud said, but doing so would have offered benefits that quickly ran out.
“They could have given us the money and we would have spent it, and tomorrow we would need help again,” he said, arguing that training Somali personnel provided a more durable solution.
Mohamud expects even stronger partnership
Mohamud said cooperation between Türkiye and Somalia had grown well beyond humanitarian assistance to encompass infrastructure, security and the economy.
“Our relations are growing day by day. Yesterday it was aid, then infrastructure and security, then the economy. Tomorrow it will be an even stronger partnership,” he said.
“Thanks to the whole world, but special thanks to Türkiye.”
He emphasized that the partnership was not limited to government institutions, saying ordinary Somalis also felt deep gratitude toward Türkiye and its people.
As evidence of closer people-to-people ties, Mohamud cited young Somalis who speak Turkish and have become familiar with Turkish culture.
He said Somali youths interested in producing Turkish-language discussion programs had visited him and intended to broadcast the programs in Türkiye as a way of thanking the Turkish people.
“For the Somali people and the Turkish people to understand each other and come closer together is something historically very important for us,” Mohamud said.
Somalia hopes other countries will follow an approach modeled on Türkiye’s engagement, he added.
