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The Turkish Parliament approved a presidential decree extending Türkiye's naval deployment in the Gulf of Aden, Somali territorial waters, the Arabian Sea and adjacent regions for one additional year, effective Feb. 10.
The extension allows Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) maritime units to continue operations in the strategic waterway. The decree was passed following a parliamentary debate on Ankara's military posture in the region and its geopolitical implications.
Turkish Parliament National Defense Commission Chair Hulusi Akar told the assembly that affirmative votes held vital importance for national preservation and regional stability.
"This presence protects maritime commerce security, ensures continuity of energy supply lines and maintains the stability of global flows directly affecting our nation's prosperity," said Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Samsun Deputy Ilyas Topsakal.
"It also completes the historical, humanitarian and institutional bonds Türkiye has established with regional peoples, particularly Somalia, on a security foundation," he added.
Akar characterized Türkiye's Somalia presence as a historic challenge to colonial powers, saying, "Türkiye's presence in Somalia disrupts certain encirclement plans directed against Türkiye."
"Our military presence there, including our naval vessels, represents support for a friendly and brotherly nation's just cause, just as in Libya and Azerbaijan," he said.
The Good Party (Iyi Party), represented by Mugla Deputy Metin Ergun, endorsed the extension by saying, "Sending troops abroad under U.N. decisions creates significant leverage in foreign policy while serving humanitarian and international responsibilities," Ergun said.
This represents strategic investment in developing Türkiye's national security capacity," he added.
MHP deputies expressed backing for the measure, stating, "This operation in the Gulf of Aden, Somali waters and the Arabian Sea is not temporary foreign engagement or symbolic distant presence," Topsakal stated.
"It represents the responsibility undertaken by Turkish history—which for centuries considered commerce routes, maritime transport and security integral to state wisdom—under contemporary conditions," he added.
The CHP's parliamentary leadership confirmed party support for the extension.
Akar referenced Türkiye's Blue Homeland doctrine as foundational to regional approach, noting, "Our Blue Homeland doctrine is shaped by this understanding," he said
"Blue Homeland is not myth, as some claim—it is an epic, and will remain so," Akar said.
Following the debate, the assembly voted to approve the decree extending TAF maritime deployment in the Gulf of Aden, Somali territorial waters and adjacent regions for one year.
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