As the Horn of Africa faces the risk of a multidimensional conflict, Türkiye's multidimensional strategic cooperation agreements with Somalia are stabilizing the region.
In Somalia, which is home to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with its long coastline, ports and abundant oil and gas waiting to be discovered, Türkiye stands out with its stabilizing role with the strategic cooperation agreements signed at a time when the competition between regional and global powers intensifies.
In 2011, Ankara intervened in Somalia, where even international organizations were indifferent to the humanitarian tragedy due to security concerns, with a humanitarian diplomacy approach and has since then positioned itself as a political and security actor in the region. One of the important components of Türkiye's official foreign policy towards Somalia is to help restore security against terrorism by supporting the country's Somali security forces and the African Union Mission. In line with foreign policy objectives, a Military Training Cooperation Agreement (2012) and a Defense Industry Cooperation Agreement (2015) were signed between Türkiye and Somalia, where the Turkish navy has been operating in the Gulf of Aden since 2009 to establish security and peace permanently. According to the defense and security agreements signed between the two countries, Türkiye provided military training to Somali police and soldiers in both Ankara and Mogadishu.
In 2017, Türkiye opened its largest military training base abroad in Somalia and provided military training to Somali soldiers. These agreements, which were the preliminary steps for the development of strategic security cooperation relations between the two countries, bore fruit in 2024 and two historic agreements were signed between Türkiye and Somalia in February 2024, namely the Framework Agreement on Defense and Economic Cooperation and the Strategic Agreement on Energy Cooperation.
Reflecting Türkiye's long-standing commitment to the development of the Horn of Africa in general, and Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in particular, the defense agreement includes training and equipping Somalia's naval forces and supporting the security of its coastline. The agreement also aims to enhance Somalia's capacity and capabilities to combat illegal and irregular activities in its territorial waters, such as all forms of terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing, toxic waste dumping and any external intrusion or threat to the country's coastline.
The fact that the signing of the Maritime Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Somaliland and Ethiopia coincided with a period of heightened tension in Somali-Ethiopian relations does not constitute a reaction against the parties. In the face of the MoU, which provides Ethiopia with a commercial sphere of influence in the Gulf of Aden, Egypt, the U.S. and China, in addition to Türkiye, have adopted a position supporting Somalia's theses in line with protecting its territorial integrity. In this context, Türkiye, which contributes to global peace with its deterrent military power and aid to friendly and allied countries, has prioritized establishing lasting peace in the Horn of Africa. Likewise, in addition to its strong economic and trade relations with Ethiopia, Türkiye has supported the Addis Ababa government's fight against rebels in Tigray, the northern region of the country, with drones.
Energy strategic cooperation agreement
Following the Defense and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, Ankara and Mogadishu signed an Energy and Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Feb. 7. The agreement, signed in Istanbul by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and his Somali counterpart Abdirizak Mohamed, aims to explore, evaluate, develop and produce Somalia's hydrocarbon resources.
Although geo-seismic surveys are not yet complete, it is believed that Somalia may have at least 30 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves in 15 offshore blocks. Aiming to achieve energy independence through the efficient use of energy resources that have the potential to completely change the face of Somalia, the Somali government adopted the Petroleum Law in early 2020, which regulates sovereign rights to explore, develop, exploit and manage onshore and offshore oil resources. Mogadishu announced that the Petroleum Law aims to ensure that the Somali people gain maximum benefit from the country's resources through oil development, protect the environment in oil exploration and establish the Somali Petroleum Authority as the competent authority to regulate oil operations.
Considering the fact that energy supply chains and energy security are heating up global competition in the context of multidimensional conflicts in the international system, the discovery of Somalia's existing hydrocarbon resources will place the country in an important place on energy maps. In this context, efforts between Ankara and Mogadishu to enhance cooperation in the energy and mining sectors date back to 2016. Somalia and Türkiye, which first invited Türkiye to explore for oil in its seas in 2016, signed a MoU to develop and promote the oil, gas, electricity, mining and mining sectors based on mutual respect and mutual interests of both sides.
Türkiye will become a strong ally in the Horn of Africa through concessions obtained by private and state-owned companies to explore energy resources in the Somali Seas. Likewise, the energy and strategic cooperation agreement signed between the two countries is an indication of Türkiye's confidence in the nation's technology, know-how, and technical expertise in the exploration of hydrocarbon reserves that will play a critical role in moving Somalia to an important place on the world energy map.
Türkiye's multidimensional development approach
Within the framework of its unique hybrid development approach, Türkiye, unlike traditional Western donors, adopts an inclusive local and economic development model to accelerate civil development in Somalia. In this context, at the heart of the strategic cooperation agreements is the goal of creating inclusive economic opportunities by expanding state authority and services and stabilizing Somalia by allowing the country's resources to serve social development. The Defense and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed between Ankara and Mogadishu will play a critical role in defending Somalia's land and maritime territory by enhancing the country's ability to use force against threats to violate Somalia's national sovereignty in line with the principle of self-determination. On the other hand, the Energy and Strategic Cooperation Agreement, which aims to utilize the hydrocarbon wealth such as fisheries, oil and gas within Somalia's maritime jurisdiction to improve the livelihoods of the people of the country, will accelerate national development.
With two strategic cooperation agreements, which represent the culmination of long-standing solidarity and friendly relations between the two countries, Türkiye has demonstrated its commitment to improving Somalia's economic and security framework and will reinforce its role as a regional security actor. The agreement is not limited to gains between Türkiye and Somalia. Given the military tension triggered by the attacks by Yemeni Houthi forces on merchant ships in the Red Sea, the Türkiye-Somalia Cooperation and Framework Agreement will also contribute to the security of international maritime routes, providing security assurance to global trade stakeholders.
