The Somali government and Parliament approved a defense agreement with Turkey on Wednesday February 21, against a backdrop of regional tensions between Mogadishu and its neighbor Ethiopia, which signed an agreement with the separatist region of Somaliland.
Under the 10-year defense deal, Turkey, a NATO member and close ally of Somalia, will help defend the coastline and rebuild the naval forces of the volatile Horn of Africa country. Africa, President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud said following a joint session of Parliament. “The agreement submitted to Parliament today concerns only cooperation between Somalia and Turkey in maritime defense and economic matters. It is in no way intended to create hatred or quarrel with any other country or government,” he said.
Tensions have been high between the two neighbors since a rapprochement between Ethiopia and Somaliland materialized by the signing, on January 1, of a “memorandum of understanding” providing for the rental for fifty years to Ethiopia of 20 km of coast of Somaliland on the Gulf of Aden. Mogadishu denounced an “illegal” agreement. Somaliland authorities said that in exchange for this access to the sea, Ethiopia would become the first country to officially recognize them, something none has done since this small territory of 4.5 million inhabitants unilaterally proclaimed its independence from Somalia in 1991.
” Best choice “
“Somalia has clearly expressed its position: the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia can never be negotiated, and this has led today to this historic agreement,” the deputy minister welcomed to AFP. of defense, Abdifatah Kassim. “Turkey is the best choice to defend Somalia’s coast,” he added. Ankara maintains close relations with Somalia and is its main economic partner, particularly in the construction, education and health sectors, as well as in military cooperation. Somalia is home to Turkey’s largest military base and overseas training center, according to Turkish media.
Following the signing of the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia, many countries and international organizations (United States, China, European Union, African Union, Arab League, etc.) have called for respect for Somali sovereignty. The second most populous country in Africa (120 million inhabitants), Ethiopia is seeking access to the Red Sea, which it gradually lost after the independence of Eritrea in 1993 – which it had annexed in the 1950s.
A relatively stable region compared to the rest of Somalia, the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland has its own institutions, prints its currency and issues its passports, but the lack of international recognition keeps it in a certain isolation.