Corvette TCG KINALIADA (F-514) of the Turkish Navy entered Mogadishu Port, capital of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Thus begins the implementation of the agreement signed in February between Turkey and Somalia for 10 years of military and economic cooperation.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud participated in an official welcoming ceremony for the ship and crew. He announced that bilateral strategic cooperation is to be strengthened, especially in areas such as defense and security. According to him, Turkey will provide assistance to Somalia to restore the country’s navy and to protect the maritime borders, including against piracy.
The agreement between the two countries comes amid worsening relations between Somalia and Ethiopia due to the signing of a memorandum of understanding in January between Ethiopia and the self-proclaimed state of Somaliland to grant Addis Ababa access to the port of Berbera.
One of the terms of the bilateral agreement between Somalia and Turkey is granting the latter rights to conduct exploration and prospecting for oil and gas in the Somali shelf and quotas for fishing resources.
Tags: Turkish navy work Somali pirate groups exchange oil gas extraction rights
