By Mohamed Abdi - Reporter
Mogadishu, 20 August 2026 — Somalia and Türkiye marked the 15th anniversary of renewed diplomatic ties on Tuesday at a ceremony hosted by Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mogadishu.
Relations gained momentum after then-Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Mogadishu on 19 August 2011, during one of Somalia’s worst humanitarian crises. The Turkish Embassy was reopened in Mogadishu on 1 November 2011.
The event celebrated a strategic partnership built over 15 years on cooperation in development, humanitarian assistance, education, healthcare, security and infrastructure.
Attendees included Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, the Speaker of the House of the People, Cabinet members, lawmakers, the Turkish Ambassador to Somalia, business leaders, students and humanitarian representatives.
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Prime Minister Hamza said Türkiye had become a "brotherly country" that stood by Somalia in its most difficult period.
“On 19 August 2011, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan came to Somalia at a time when the country was facing an extremely difficult humanitarian situation,” Hamza said.
Over the past 15 years, cooperation has expanded beyond diplomacy to projects with direct impact on Somali communities, including hospitals, schools, roads and institution-building.
The anniversary comes as Türkiye plays a growing role in Somalia’s oil exploration and drilling, further deepening economic cooperation in natural resources.