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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Türkiye plans to establish a spaceport in Somalia under recently signed agreements, highlighting deepening cooperation between the two countries.
“Under the agreements we have signed, we plan to establish a spaceport in Somalia,” Erdogan said at a joint news conference with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Istanbul.
Erdogan said Türkiye has added two new deep-sea drilling ships to its energy fleet and plans to begin drilling operations in Somalia in 2026, adding that the activities would make “significant contributions” to the well-being of the Somali people.
Erdogan also condemned Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, calling the move “illegitimate and unacceptable.”
Israel recognized Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent sovereign state on Friday.
Erdogan said Somalia has achieved notable improvements in security despite acts of sabotage by those seeking to prevent the country’s recovery.
Mohamud said Somalia has felt the strong support of Türkiye and the Turkish people as it faces threats to its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
He described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance toward Somalia’s territorial integrity as unacceptable.
Somaliland has operated as a de facto independent administrative, political and security entity since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, but it has not received international recognition. Somalia’s federal government considers the region an integral part of its territory and views any direct engagement with Somaliland as a violation of its sovereignty.
Erdogan welcomed Mohamud with an official ceremony at the Presidential Dolmabahce Office in Istanbul. The two leaders held a one-on-one meeting before chairing an inter-delegation session.
Erdogan was accompanied by senior officials, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir.
Also present were National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Chief Foreign Policy and Security Adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic, Defense Industries President Haluk Gorgun, and AK Party spokesperson Omer Celik.
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