Somalia's cabinet has backed a 10-year defense pact between Somalia and Turkey to safeguard the former's sovereignty, and the Somali Federal Parliament ratified the agreement, Somali Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Daud Aweis said on Wednesday.
Somali media reported earlier that Somalia's government ratified a maritime security pact with Turkey, which gave Ankara "comprehensive authority" to protect and defend Somalia's territorial waters. Under the treaty, Turkey will receive 30% of profits from activities in Somalia's exclusive economic zone, known for its rich biological resources. The pact attaches great importance to combating poaching in Somali waters, for which Turkey will build and equip ships.
"On a momentous occasion, the cabinet has endorsed a defense collaboration pact between Somalia and the esteemed Rep. of #Turkey, a NATO member and close ally. This landmark 10-year pact will significantly bolster the #Somalia govt’s endeavors to safeguard its sovereignty," Aweis said on X.
In a separate post on X, he said that "the Federal Parliament of #Somalia has also ratified the groundbreaking defense & economic agreement between Somalia & Turkey," which he said "marks a new era of hope for Somalia and serves as a stabilizing force for the Horn of Africa."
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Turkey will protect Somalia's territorial waters for ten years under the agreement reached between Mogadishu and Ankara, and the countries will create a joint navy.
"The Turkish brothers will protect our seas only for ten years within the framework of the signed agreement. After ten years of cooperation, we will have our own navy to protect our seas," Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu quoted the president as saying.
Mohamud emphasized that the agreement is not aimed against any country, including Ethiopia. The agreement was signed at a time of heightened tensions between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa, which in January inked a memorandum of understanding with the breakaway region of Somaliland that granted the landlocked Horn of Africa nation access to the Red Sea and the ability to establish a naval base. On January 6, Mohamud signed a law nullifying the memorandum of understanding between Somaliland and Ethiopia.