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Under the agreement, it is a member of NATO Turkey will secure the northern coast of Somalia overlooking the Gulf of Aden and lead the reorganization of the African country's navy.
This was stated by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during a joint meeting of the Somali government and parliament on Wednesday
The agreement relates only to defense and economic cooperation between the two countries and the protection of the northern coast, so it is not intended to incite hatred or disagreement with the leadership of any third country.”
At the same time, Somali Deputy Defense Minister Qasim Abdel Fattah stressed that “the agreement expresses that Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity may not be violated,” adding that Turkey is the best partner to ensure this.
The Somali-Turkish agreement came after the Ethiopian government signed a cooperation agreement on January 1 with the separatist leadership of Somaliland in the western part of Somalia, which has become a de facto independent state since 1991 with a population of 4.5 million people. Under the agreement, Somaliland cedes a 20-kilometre coastal strip for 50 years to Ethiopia, which has not had its own access to the sea since 1993, so that it can build its own trading zone in the port of Berbera in the south. Coast of the Gulf of Aden, establishing a military base west of the coast, and in return, Ethiopia – as the first country in the region – recognized the independence of the “Republic of Somaliland”.
While Somalia viewed the illegal agreement as a regional aggression and a violation of its independence, many countries and international organizations, including the Arab League, the African Union and the United States, responded to its call and demanded that Somalia's independence be respected in Somalia. The surrounding area is also known as the “Horn of Africa”.
Cooperation between Somalia and Turkey has already been close, primarily covering economy, education, healthcare, construction and national defence, as Turkey's largest foreign military and training base is located in the African country.
Cover image source: Burak Kara/Getty Images
