Turkiye, Somalia sign defence deal

Turkiye and Somalia signed a cooperation deal on defence amid lingering tensions in the Horn of Africa over a controversial agreement between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland, Turkiye’s Defence Ministry shared on their official X.

Millî Savunma Bakanı Yaşar Güler, resmî davetlisi olarak Ankara’ya gelen Somali Savunma Bakanı Abdulkadir Muhammed Nur’u askerî törenle karşıladı. Her iki Bakan, ikili görüşmenin ardından heyetler arası görüşmeye başkanlık etti. İkili ve bölgesel savunma ve güvenlik konularında… pic.twitter.com/IKku3TCGha

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) February 8, 2024

The Defence and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement was signed between Turkish Defence Minister, Yasar Guler and his Somali counterpart, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, who paid an official visit to Ankara.

“The agreement we signed today involves cooperation on the fight against terrorism and military-financial cooperation,” Nur said, speaking at a joint press conference. “We believe that the agreement will contribute greatly to Somalia.”

Guler, who described the two defence chiefs’ meeting as “fruitful”, said that the deal “will further improve” bilateral military relations between the two countries.

“Somalia is an important partner of Turkiye in Africa,” he added, reiterating his country’s support for the African country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

READ: Somalia, Somaliland agree to resume talks to resolve disputes: Report