Panel on Trust, Cooperation, and Strategic Partnership organised by the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye org / َAA
Türkiye and Somalia are advancing a strategic partnership that now spans development, defence, healthcare, maritime affairs and strategic communications, officials from both countries said.
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The Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye convened officials and experts in Mogadishu on Thursday for a panel titled “A New Era in Türkiye-Somalia Relations: Trust, Cooperation, and Strategic Partnership”.
Opening the event, Federal Parliament of Somalia Speaker Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said bilateral ties had grown from an initially humanitarian focus into a wide-ranging partnership encompassing diplomacy, trade, development and defence.
Calling Türkiye a “brother” to Somalia, Nur said the relationship had remained strong despite changes in Somalia’s political leadership.
Somalia’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Abdulfatah Kasim Mohamud said cooperation had entered a new phase, extending beyond infrastructure and healthcare to include the maritime sector.
He said Somalia’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty were central to the partnership and served as its foundation.
Focus on disinformation
Countering disinformation emerged as a major theme at the panel, with speakers warning that false or misleading information can erode public trust and place pressure on relations between states.
Deniz Demir, coordinator of Türkiye’s Center for Combating Disinformation, said misinformation and disinformation could harm interstate relations, public security and social cohesion.
He urged Türkiye and Somalia to strengthen cooperation through faster information-sharing systems, social media monitoring and cybersecurity measures.
Somali officials and experts also underlined the importance of effective strategic communication in helping the public understand the breadth and impact of cooperation between the two countries.
From humanitarian aid to capacity building
Speakers identified President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 2011 visit to Somalia as a defining moment in the modern development of Türkiye-Somalia relations.
Since that visit, Türkiye has broadened its engagement from humanitarian assistance to education, healthcare, infrastructure, security and economic cooperation.
They cited the work of institutions including the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Türkiye Maarif Foundation and Turkish Red Crescent, along with Türkiye’s training and support for Somali security personnel.
Onur Çelik, Honorary Consul of Somalia in Afyonkarahisar, said Türkiye’s policy was not aimed at protecting Somalia indefinitely, but at helping the country build the capacity to protect itself.
Officials at the Mogadishu panel said the next phase of the partnership would continue to rest on mutual trust, respect for Somalia’s sovereignty and sustained efforts to build long-term national capacity.
