The growing ties between Türkiye and Somalia have continued to attract attention with experts highlighting the win-win benefits.
Türkiye and Somalia have been collaborating in the areas of education, security and energy exploration in recent years as Somalia recovers from the effects of armed conflicts and natural disasters it suffered for years.
"Before Türkiye came, we were alone like the only child of our parents," Prof. Yahya Amir, who works on the history of Somalia, told Anadolu Agency.
Amir had served as an advisor to Somalia’s president and a member of the board of directors of the Somalia Central Bank. He also worked at the World Bank and different universities around the world.
"The Somali people unite when a problem arises from outside. But when we look at it internally, there are some conflicts, both internal and external influences," Amir said.
Pointing out that the city of Mogadishu is safe today, Amir pointed out that there are "problems within the government and they are fuelled by some countries".
"After Türkiye came, we felt that we had a brother who at least thinks like us and wants Somalia to develop and become stronger. Many countries say they want Somalia to develop, but in fact they don't; they want to keep us down. But despite all the risks, Türkiye invested in Somalia and trained our soldiers," he observed.
‘Brotherly country’
Underlining that the most important thing for him as a university professor is education, Amir stated that even if politicians change in Somalia, Türkiye has never changed its policy while other countries change their policies.
"(Türkiye's) policy is fixed; they always want to help the Somali people. For this reason, it doesn't matter whether it is the opposition or the government, go to the market, ask the people on the street, students, business people, everyone will say to you: 'Our only brother is Türkiye.' Because they are the only country that has decided to share our risk and trouble."
Pointing out that some countries define themselves as "donors", but in fact they always give their investments and aid conditionally, Amir stated that all of what Türkiye gives is a part of the development of this country. "Türkiye is actually a partner in this development." he added.
Amir explained that 20 years ago, an Englishman said to him, "You are a victim of your own resources," and continued his speech as follows:
"It seemed strange to me then, but today I feel that this country is really a victim of its resources. There are very valuable natural resources in this country. Some do not want our oil, mines and sea to be used. Because if we benefit from all of these, we will develop and become one of the leading countries in Africa. They don't want that. Except for Türkiye. They act with a 'win-win' approach."
Pointing out that, as in every country, there are some people who think about their own interests and do not care about their people, Amir drew attention to the natural resources of his country.
Colonial impacts
Amir noted that colonialism is at the root of the problems not only in Africa but also in the world, and said that especially the UK divided Somalia into five parts, and also divided several other countries.
Stating that those former colonialists are always behind today's border problems, Prof. Dr. Amir said, "In 1960, they told us, 'You became independent'. But we were not actually independent…. They controlled the money. Now they are not physically here, but they still control us through the system. Even in banking, with the SWIFT system in money transfers, if they see that it is on the rise, they can cause problems."
"We are still not a fully independent nation," Amir said, adding that he hopes the new generation will come back and bring about change by seeing the world and understanding the facts.
Emphasising that Africa should solve its own problem, Amir stated that it is not possible to ‘‘treat the disease without diagnosing it’’ and that Africa now knows its disease, needs to unite, and manages its own resources and power.
He praised the Turkish government and people for treating Somalia in ‘‘a fraternal manner in these difficult days. Now the situation is slowly improving."
