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Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stated on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "aggressive attitude" toward Somalia is "unacceptable" and violates international law, speaking at a joint press conference with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following their meeting at the Dolmabahce Presidential Working Office.
"Netanyahu's aggressive attitude, this attitude that includes Somalia, is unacceptable. In fact, this aggressive attitude is also a violation of international law," Mohamud said.
"It is like violating the United Nations founding agreement. It also violates all principles of the agreements that brought the African Union together and of diplomacy. Territorial integrity, sovereignty and non-interference in these are the fundamental values underlying all international systems," he added.
Mohamud thanked President Erdogan for standing by Somalia during difficult times and for his leadership, adding, "Especially at this time when Somalia is facing threats related to territorial integrity and sovereignty, we felt the support of Türkiye and the Turkish nation."
"As Somalia, we are also working to establish our own strong government to protect our territorial integrity and sovereignty," he added.
Mohamud noted that Türkiye conducted mediation efforts between Somaliland and Somalia many years ago and has since been working to resolve the issue peacefully and amicably.
"Today, President Erdogan once again reiterated that Türkiye stands by Somalia. Türkiye will stand by Somalia to support it. Türkiye's support is extremely important for Somalia's progress. Türkiye's cooperation is very important for peace, stability and recovery," Mohamud stated.
Mohamud warned that failure to stop extremist groups would have international consequences, particularly for Somalia and the African region, noting, "Especially for Somalia, this would be the beginning of insecurity and instability in the African region. There are already armed conflicts here. It is a region that is fragile in humanitarian terms."
Noting tensions among groups within Somalia, Mohamud said, "Deepening this discrimination by supporting extremist groups, deepening it with international and external interventions, benefits no one."
"We continue with full commitment and determination to our national development plan and will continue to pursue this development agenda, which is very important for Somalia," he added.
Mohamud pointed to the local government elections held in Mogadishu on Dec. 25, describing it as "a long-awaited, important achievement."
"The last democratic elections in Somalia were held 57 years ago. This is a historic achievement for Somalia. This shows the resilience of the Somali people, the increasing competence and capacity of our institutions, and that we are progressing with confident steps toward stability and progress in democratic governance," he noted.
Mohamud reaffirmed Somalia-Türkiye cooperation and said Somalia is beginning to see concrete results from joint efforts.
"Allah willing, we are now starting to see the concrete results of these efforts and to benefit from this wealth bestowed upon our country. This is an extremely important and historic achievement for us," Mohamud said.
"While we continue our determined struggle against those who try to weaken our country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, we have never allowed these challenges to deter us from our goal of responsible and sustainable development of our natural resources. And in this process, we have always received support from President Erdoğan and Türkiye," he added.
"Our goal is to secure a better and more prosperous future for our people," Mohamud said.
Mohamud announced that Türkiye and Somalia have been working together on oil and gas exploration and have achieved meaningful successes, adding, "We are very grateful to Türkiye for pioneering in this field and for standing by Somalia. Technical and scientific evaluations were made, and positive results were obtained as a result. This is a long-term cooperation and investment."
"In the next phase, drilling work will continue. This is also a very big undertaking. A heavy task. But drilling work will also start very soon. We will make a very good start to 2026, Allah willing," he added.
Mohamud emphasized that the discovery of oil and gas will be effective in Somalia's national strengthening, saying, "The discovery of oil and gas will be effective in Somalia's national strengthening. It will also improve the lives of Somali people. Somali people will reach a higher level of prosperity through this."
"The management of these must be maintained with accountability, equality and intergenerational responsibility. Today we are laying the foundations of these principles, this process," he concluded.
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