By Asha Elmi - Reporter
VENICE, Italy, 8 October 2026 The Somali Navy commander, Gen. Abdullahi Omar Abdullahi, has signed agreements to join two international networks focused on maritime traffic management and security, Somali National Television reported.
The agreements are the Virtual Regional Maritime Traffic Centre (V-RMTC) and the Trans-Regional Maritime Network (T-RMN), which bring together countries with maritime routes and interests across different regions.
Somalia’s membership will allow it to formally participate in international cooperation on information sharing and maritime traffic movements, the broadcaster said.
Gen. Abdullahi signed the agreements while attending the 15th International Seapower Symposium in Venice, organised by the Italian Navy and held at the Italian Navy’s Arsenal complex.
The symposium brought together navy commanders from several countries and focused on strengthening maritime security, monitoring undersea cables, developing modern naval capabilities and enhancing cooperation among countries with maritime routes.
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Participants also discussed the exchange of information on vessels and maritime traffic, as well as ways to strengthen international strategic cooperation.
During the symposium, the Somali Navy commander said Somalia, located in a strategic position linking global trade and communities, was strengthening its relations with countries with maritime routes, and that the Somali government was working to control and secure its territorial waters.
While in Italy, Gen. Abdullahi also held separate meetings with Qatar’s Navy commander, Maj. Gen. Abdullah Hassan Al-Sulaiti, and the Turkish Navy commander, Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu.
The meetings focused on strengthening trilateral cooperation between Somalia, Qatar and Türkiye, particularly in naval cooperation and maritime security.