Somalia’s Minister of Ports and Marine Transport, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, delivered an emotional and expansive tribute to Türkiye’s role in his country’s recovery as Somalia and Türkiye marked 60 years of formal diplomatic relations.
Speaking at a commemorative event in Ankara, Abdulkadir framed the anniversary as more than a diplomatic milestone. While official ties were established in 1966, he said the relationship stretches back centuries.
“This is not merely a 60-year relationship,” he told the audience. “It is a centuries-old bond built on shared values, shared faith, and shared destiny.”
The strongest emotions surfaced when the minister turned to 2011, a year he described as a defining turning point in Somalia’s modern history.
At the height of famine and insecurity, when much of the international community had distanced itself from the country, then–Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Mogadishu in August 2011.
“He went where others said it was impossible to go,” Abdulkadir said. “He brought hope to a place many believed beyond repair.”
Erdogan did not travel alone, the minister recalled, but arrived with ministers, officials, civil society representatives and his family despite significant security risks.
“When others saw risk, Türkiye saw responsibility,” he said. “When others hesitated, Türkiye acted.”
‘Visit restored our dignity’
In some of his most personal remarks, Abdulkadir praised Erdogan’s leadership in deeply reverential terms.
“President Erdogan did not see Somalia as a distant crisis,” he said. “At every international platform he attended, Erdogan brought Somalia to the agenda. He made Somalia visible and helped lift the country out of isolation.”
He continued: “He did not come for headlines. He came with heart, with courage, and with conviction. He came to stand with the Somali people when standing with us was not easy.”
Abdulkadir described the 2011 visit as far more than symbolic.
“It was not simply a state visit,” he said. “It was a declaration of solidarity that changed the course of our history.”
According to the minister, that moment marked the point at which Somalia felt it was no longer abandoned.
“That visit restored our dignity,” he said. “It told the Somali people that we were not alone, that someone was willing to share our pain and invest in our future.”
In the years that followed, Türkiye expanded its presence across multiple sectors, from humanitarian assistance to infrastructure and institutional development.
Turkish-backed projects supported hospitals, roads and schools, while scholarship programs enabled thousands of Somali students to pursue higher education in Türkiye.
“Türkiye did not speak to Somalia from afar,” Abdulkadir said. “Türkiye worked in Somalia, with Somalia, for Somalia.”
He emphasised that the educational scholarships represented more than aid, calling them investments in Somalia’s next generation of leaders.
The minister also highlighted Türkiye’s decision to reopen and maintain a permanent diplomatic presence in Mogadishu at a time when many governments remained cautious.
“Türkiye opened the way; others followed,” he said, arguing that Ankara’s early engagement helped restore broader international confidence in Somalia.
The partnership has since evolved beyond humanitarian support.
Abdulkadir pointed to deepening cooperation in maritime transport and port development sectors central to Somalia’s economic strategy given its strategic position along major global shipping routes.
He referenced the Defense and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed in February 2024 as an “irreversible step” toward a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Fight against terrorism
“We are no longer speaking only of aid,” he said. “We are speaking of joint production, shared security, and shared prosperity.”
Abdulkadir rejected the notion that the bilateral relationship is purely transactional but rooted in brotherhood. “We are not simply two states cooperating,” he concluded. “We are two nations bound by history, values, and a common future.”
Türkiye has strengthened its economic and security engagement in Somalia in recent years. The seismic survey vessel Oruç Reis recently completed oil exploration surveys in Somali waters, while the exploration vessel Çağrı Bey has just departed for Somalia to advance oil and gas exploration initiatives.
Beyond energy cooperation, Türkiye has played a key role in Somalia’s fight against terrorism, supporting capacity-building for security forces and contributing to regional stability, underscoring Ankara’s growing strategic footprint in the Horn of Africa.
As the two countries commemorate six decades of diplomatic ties, the minister’s remarks underscored how a high-profile visit in 2011 reshaped bilateral relations, transforming them from humanitarian engagement into a far-reaching strategic alignment that continues to influence both Somalia’s recovery and Türkiye’s expanding engagement across Africa.
