Türkiye and Somalia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their strategic partnership across a wide range of fields, including security, defence, trade, infrastructure, education and healthcare, during a programme held in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

The programme, titled “A New Era in Türkiye-Somalia Relations: Trust, Cooperation and Strategic Partnership,” was organised by the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications at Aden Adde International Airport.

The event brought together senior Somali and Turkish officials, academics and representatives of institutions involved in bilateral cooperation. Discussions focused on the historical evolution of relations, current areas of cooperation, the future of the strategic partnership and efforts to counter disinformation targeting the two countries.

Relations have evolved into a strategic partnership

Speaking at the opening session, Speaker of the House of the People of Somalia’s Federal Parliament Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said bilateral relations, which initially developed through humanitarian assistance, had expanded rapidly into development, trade, diplomacy, economic cooperation and defence.

He thanked the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, the Somali presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and other institutions involved in organising the programme.

Nur stressed that the growing partnership had also been accompanied by an increase in disinformation campaigns seeking to portray Türkiye-Somalia relations negatively.

“We must enhance our efforts to counter misleading information disseminated with the aim of portraying the partnership between our two countries in a negative light and discrediting it,” he said, calling for efforts proportionate to the scale of the threat.

He warned that one of the most serious consequences of disinformation could be the erosion of trust between the Somali and Turkish peoples, whose relations are rooted in humanitarian cooperation, Islamic values and historical ties.

Nur also called for stronger coordination between institutions responsible for media and public communication in the two countries, noting that social media has become increasingly influential in shaping public opinion.

“The strongest response to disinformation is to achieve continued success and progress, while at the same time ensuring that accurate information reaches, in full, those whom such disinformation seeks to mislead,” he said.

Somalia stresses sovereignty and territorial integrity

Somalia’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Abdulfatah Kasim Mohamud said bilateral relations had developed from humanitarian and development cooperation into a comprehensive strategic partnership covering security and defence, energy, fisheries, infrastructure, ports, aviation, investment, education, healthcare and institutional development.

Mohamud emphasised that the relationship was based not only on government-to-government ties but also on the strong sense of friendship and solidarity between the Somali and Turkish peoples.

“The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia are not open to negotiation,” he said.

The minister also warned that disinformation, manipulated narratives, coordinated perception operations and propaganda by terrorist organisations were being used to influence public opinion, weaken confidence in state institutions, deepen social divisions and distort international perceptions of Somalia.

As cooperation between Türkiye and Somalia expands into strategic sectors, Mohamud said, attempts could emerge to misrepresent the nature and objectives of the partnership.

“We must not allow a partnership whose results can be seen on the ground to be defined by false narratives,” he said.

Countering disinformation highlighted

Deniz Demir, coordinator of the Centre for Combating Disinformation (DMM) under the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, said disinformation had become a growing threat to states’ decision-making processes, social cohesion, international reputation and public order.

Mohamed Haji Yussuf, director of the Office of the Speaker of Somalia’s House of the People, highlighted the contribution of education to bilateral relations.

He noted that Somali graduates who had studied in Türkiye were now working in government ministries, the military, hospitals, the central bank and parliament.

According to Yussuf, the human capital developed through educational exchanges represents one of the strongest bridges between the two countries.

Historical roots of Türkiye-Somalia relations

The historical dimension of bilateral relations was addressed by Professor Yahya Amir Hagi Ibrahim of Somaville University.

Ibrahim traced contacts between the Ottoman Empire and the Horn of Africa to the 16th century, when the Ottomans provided the Adal Sultanate with firearms, artillery, military personnel and expertise amid the Ottoman-Portuguese rivalry in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

He also noted that the Ottoman Empire and the Ajuran Sultanate shared strategic interests in opposing Portuguese expansion along the East African coast and in the Indian Ocean.

During the First World War, Ottoman authorities also established contacts with the anti-colonial Dervish movement, he said.

Somalia’s Honorary Consul in Afyonkarahisar, Onur Çelik, highlighted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 2011 visit to Mogadishu, when Somalia was confronting a severe famine and security crisis.

Çelik said the visit marked a turning point in the international perception of Somalia and helped deepen Türkiye’s engagement with the country.

Representatives from the Turkish Red Crescent, Somali Maarif Schools affiliated with the Türkiye Maarif Foundation, the Mogadishu Somalia-Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) also attended the programme.

The event concluded with an awards ceremony and a group photograph, underscoring the two countries’ stated commitment to deepening their longstanding partnership. (ILKHA)