Somalia’s president is to visit close ally Turkey on Tuesday following Israel’s recognition of the breakaway territory of Somaliland, Turkey’s presidency said.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will hold talks “on the current situation in Somalia in the fight against terrorism, measures taken by the federal Somali government towards national unity and regional developments”, Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate, said on X.
Turkey on Friday denounced Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic, calling it “overt interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs”.
Ankara, a close ally of Somalia, provides military and economic assistance to the country that has been devastated by civil war since the early 1990s.
Turkey is helping to rebuild its army and infrastructure while ensuring its presence in east Africa, including at sea.
Somaliland declared independence in 1991, as Somalia was plunged into chaos following the fall of dictator Siad Barre.
The region has operated autonomously since then and possesses its own currency, army and police force.
It has generally experienced greater stability than Somalia, where Al-Shabaab Islamic militants periodically mount attacks in the capital Mogadishu.
Diplomatic isolation has been the norm — until Israel’s move to recognise it as a sovereign nation, which has been criticised by the African Union, Egypt, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
The European Union has insisted Somalia’s sovereignty should be respected.
The recognition is the latest move by Israel that has angered Turkey, with relations souring between the two countries in recent years.
Ankara has strongly condemned Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, and Israel has opposed Turkey’s participation in a future stabilisation force in the Palestinian territory.
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