ISTANBUL, Turkey – Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul on Tuesday, as the two leaders reaffirmed their countries’ growing partnership and discussed cooperation across security, energy and economic development, according to statements released after the talks.
At a joint press conference, Erdoğan said Türkiye plans to begin offshore drilling operations in 2026, a move he said would bring significant benefits to the Somali people as the Horn of Africa nation seeks to develop its energy resources.
Highlighting Türkiye’s expanding energy capacity, Erdoğan announced that two new deep-sea drilling vessels — Çağrı Bey and Yıldırım — have been added to the country’s fleet. One vessel will operate off the coast of Somalia, while the other will be deployed in the Black Sea, he said.
“Türkiye’s cooperation with Somalia in the energy sector is steadily deepening,” Erdoğan said, pointing to the completion of a nine-month seismic research mission conducted by the Oruç Reis vessel in Somali maritime waters. The research is expected to inform future exploration and drilling activities.
The meeting underscored Ankara’s long-standing engagement in Somalia, where Türkiye has been a key partner in humanitarian assistance, infrastructure development and security cooperation for more than a decade. Energy cooperation has increasingly become a central pillar of the relationship as Somalia looks to unlock offshore resources to support economic recovery, job creation and state-building.
President Mohamud welcomed Türkiye’s continued support, describing Ankara as a strategic partner and emphasizing the importance of investment in sectors that can drive sustainable growth and long-term stability.
Beyond bilateral cooperation, the talks also touched on sensitive regional and geopolitical issues. According to sources familiar with the discussions, the agenda included regional politics, notably Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland — a self-declared region that Somalia considers part of its sovereign territory. Ankara is said to view the move as unilateral, with potentially far-reaching implications for stability in the Horn of Africa.
Mohamud publicly condemned what he described as an aggressive stance by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that any actions threatening Somalia’s territorial integrity are “unacceptable.”
The Istanbul meeting comes amid shifting alliances and heightened competition for influence in the Horn of Africa, as well as renewed international interest in Somalia’s offshore energy potential. Against this backdrop, officials on both sides portrayed the Somalia–Türkiye partnership as a strategic anchor for regional cooperation, economic development and security.
