Experts assess Türkiye-Somalia ties on 15th anniversary of Erdogan visit

Ebuzer Demirci of the University of Toronto's Secure Futures Lab and Tunc Demirtas of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) on Monday assessed the transformation of Türkiye-Somalia relations during a panel in Mogadishu marking 15 years since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's historic August 2011 visit to the Horn of Africa nation.

New era in bilateral relations

Demirci said Erdogan's 2011 visit came as Somalia grappled with civil war, famine and instability, describing the trip as a major turning point that returned the country to the international agenda. He noted that bilateral contacts date back to Ottoman-era exchanges in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean regions, and that Türkiye was among the first states to recognize Somalia following its 1960 independence, though relations later suffered from the state crisis of the 1990s.

The 2011 visit marked a new era as Erdogan arrived with family, ministers and lawmakers when other nations operated remotely, Demirci said, adding that "Erdogan's arrival in Mogadishu with his family, ministers, lawmakers and a large delegation sent a strong message to the international community." Ankara subsequently expanded its diplomatic presence, launched Turkish Airlines services and invested in port and airport infrastructure, with cooperation evolving from humanitarian assistance into hydrocarbons, the blue economy, space and strategic security coordination.

Strategic partner for coming decade

Demirtas highlighted the anniversary's significance alongside 60 years of diplomatic relations, noting that Mogadishu has recently secured an end to the arms embargo, joined the East African Community and won a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council while seeing significant debt cancellation. Rather than focusing solely on past achievements, the two nations should examine how their partnership can develop amid global uncertainty, he said, adding that bilateral momentum now spans security, economic, educational and commercial fields.

"Somalia could become one of the key countries shaping the region and the global system over the next 10 years," Demirtas said, citing its position along global trade routes and growing role in international security architecture. He added that ongoing transformations in the global system are further increasing Mogadishu's strategic importance, underscoring the need to deepen bilateral solidarity across multiple sectors while building upon six decades of diplomatic foundations.