Erdogan, Somali president pledge deeper strategic ties in Istanbul

Friday April 17, 2026

Istanbul (AX) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Thursday in Istanbul, underscoring a relationship that has steadily widened beyond diplomacy into energy, trade and security.

The talks took place at the Dolmabahce Presidential Office, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

Erdogan said Ankara would keep moving to deepen ties with Somalia across a range of areas, with trade and energy at the forefront. He pointed to the start of operations by Türkiye’s deep-sea drilling vessel Cagri Bey off Somalia’s coast as evidence of the two countries’ increasingly close cooperation.

The vessel recently launched offshore drilling under a 2024 energy agreement between the two nations, making it Türkiye’s first deep-water exploration project outside its borders.

Erdogan also restated Türkiye’s support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said Ankara would continue backing diplomatic efforts aimed at fully resolving tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, which have unsettled regional relations in recent months.

President Mohamud expressed gratitude for Türkiye’s long-running support for Somalia’s state-building efforts, including reconstruction, social services and security sector development.

The two leaders stressed the need to further strengthen their strategic partnership and welcomed the beginning of Somalia’s offshore oil exploration campaign, describing it as a significant step in economic cooperation.

Senior Turkish officials were present at the meeting, including Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, National Intelligence Organization chief Ibrahim Kalin, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, foreign policy and security adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic, and senior adviser Zafer Cubukcu.

Over the past decade, Türkiye has become one of Somalia’s closest international partners, supporting infrastructure projects, security training and humanitarian aid while broadening economic and diplomatic engagement in the Horn of Africa.