The Directorate of Communications organised a programme titled “A New Era in Türkiye-Somalia Relations: Trust, Cooperation and Strategic Partnership” in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.
Held at Aden Adde International Airport, the programme was attended by Speaker of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, Somalia’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Abdulfatah Kasim Mohamud, Coordinator of the Centre for Combating Disinformation (DMM) of the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications Deniz Demir, Somalia’s Honorary Consul in Afyonkarahisar Onur Çelik, Director of the Office of the Speaker of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia Mohamed Haji Yussuf, and Professor Yahya Amir Hagi Ibrahim of Somaville University.
Moderated by SETA Foreign Policy Researcher Dr Tunç Demirtaş, the panel discussed the history of Türkiye-Somalia relations, current areas of cooperation, the future of the strategic partnership, and disinformation targeting the two countries.
“Relations have reached the level of a strategic partnership”
Speaking at the opening of the programme, Speaker Nur thanked the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, the Presidency of Somalia, Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and other institutions that contributed to the organisation of the event.
Noting that the new era in relations between Türkiye and Somalia began with humanitarian assistance, Nur said that the relationship rapidly expanded into the fields of development and trade and has since evolved into a strategic partnership encompassing numerous areas, including diplomacy, the economy and defence.
Drawing attention to the fact that disinformation activities targeting the relationship have intensified as cooperation between the two countries has developed, Nur said: “We must enhance our efforts to counter misleading information disseminated with the aim of portraying the partnership between our two countries in a negative light and discrediting it, bringing these efforts to a level commensurate with the scale of the existing threat.”
Nur emphasised that the greatest danger posed by disinformation is its potential to undermine trust between the Somali and Turkish peoples, rooted in humanitarian and Islamic values and deep historical ties, and called for stronger cooperation between state institutions operating in the fields of media and public opinion.
Noting that social media has become more influential than traditional media, Nur said this sphere should be a priority in the two countries' communication strategies.
“The strongest response to disinformation is to achieve continued success and progress, while at the same time ensuring that accurate information reaches, in full, those whom such disinformation seeks to mislead," Nur said.
“Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are not open to negotiation”
Somalia’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mohamud, said relations that began with humanitarian assistance and development activities have evolved into a comprehensive strategic partnership encompassing security and defence, energy, fisheries, infrastructure, ports, aviation, investment, education, healthcare and institutional development.
Stating that the relationship is founded not only on ties between the governments but also on the strong sense of friendship and brotherhood between the Somali and Turkish peoples, Mohamud said: “The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia are not open to negotiation.”
Mohamud said that disinformation, manipulated narratives, coordinated perception operations and terrorist organisations’ propaganda were being used to influence public opinion, undermine trust in state institutions, create divisions within society and distort international perceptions of Somalia.
Pointing out that, as Türkiye-Somalia cooperation expands into strategic sectors, narratives may emerge that seek to misrepresent the nature, purpose and benefits of the partnership, Mohamud said: “We must not allow a partnership whose results can be seen on the ground to be defined by false narratives.”
DMM Coordinator Demir stated that disinformation has become a risk and threat targeting states’ decision-making processes, social trust, international reputation and public order. Director of the Office of the Speaker of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia Yussuf, meanwhile, noted that Somali graduates who studied in Türkiye are today serving in ministries, the military, hospitals, the central bank and parliament, adding that human capital constitutes the strongest bridge between the two countries.
Historical dimension of relations discussed
Professor Yahya Amir Hagi Ibrahim of Somaville University outlined the historical development of relations between Türkiye and Somalia.
Ibrahim stated that, in the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire provided the Adal Sultanate with firearms, artillery, soldiers and military expertise, noting that this cooperation formed part of the Ottoman-Portuguese rivalry in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Ibrahim said that the Ottoman Empire and the Ajuran Sultanate shared strategic interests in countering Portuguese expansion in the Indian Ocean and along the East African coast, and that during the First World War, Ottoman authorities also established contacts with the anti-colonial Dervish movement.
Somalia’s Honorary Consul in Afyonkarahisar, Onur Çelik, also said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Mogadishu in 2011, when the country was facing famine and a security crisis, changed how the world viewed Somalia.
Representatives of the Turkish Red Crescent, the Somali Maarif Schools affiliated with the Türkiye Maarif Foundation, the Mogadishu Somalia-Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital, and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), along with numerous guests, also attended the programme.
The programme concluded with an awards presentation and a family photo.
