Turkey Aims to Complete Somalia Offshore Drilling in 6-9 Months, Erdogan Says
"We hope to bring long-awaited good news to the brotherly people of Somalia, who have long struggled with internal instability and famine," Erdogan said at an official event in Ankara.
ANKARA, May 23, 2026 – Turkey expects to wrap up offshore oil drilling in Somali waters within six to nine months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, if weather and atmospheric conditions hold steady.
Erdogan said the operation carries “historical significance,” calling it Turkey’s first deep-sea drilling effort beyond its own borders.
- Advertisement -
“We hope to bring long-awaited good news to the brotherly people of Somalia, who have long struggled with internal instability and famine,” Erdogan said at an official event in Ankara.
The comments underscore the rapidly expanding partnership between Ankara and Mogadishu, which has broadened in recent months across energy, security and economic cooperation. The two countries have also signed major agreements on exploring and developing oil and natural gas resources off Somalia’s coast.
Turkey has steadily increased its presence in the Horn of Africa country over the past decade, pouring investment into roads and other infrastructure, healthcare, education and the training of Somali security forces.
The Turkish-led drilling campaign is viewed as an important part of Somalia’s push to tap its natural resources in hopes of lifting an economy long strained by insecurity and repeated humanitarian emergencies.
AXADLETM
