Somalia Acting PM Meets With Turkish Ambassador

By: MoDuale

The acting prime minister of the Federal government of Somalia, Mahdi Mohamed Gulled (khadar) received on Monday at his office in Mogadishu, the Ambassador of Turkey in Somalia, Mehmet Yilmaz.

During the meeting, The two sides have discussed with him the strengthening of bilateral relations and cooperation in several fields, including trade and investment.

“Honored to visit H.E. Mahdi Mohammed Gulaid, the Acting Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Had fruitful discussions on the cooperation between our two countries,” Turkish Embassy in Somalia said on twitter

Turkey, under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, launched a continental initiative to reach out to African countries whose relations with Turkey have been mostly limited since the early years of the Republic of Turkey.

Turkey’s vast aid effort at the height of the 2011 famine endeared it to many Somali people, and it has continued to pour in aid, much of it from private companies.

It has built schools, hospitals, and infrastructure and has provided Somalis with scholarships to study in Turkey. President Erdoğan has visited Mogadishu twice since his first visit to the war-ravaged country in 2011. He was the first non-African leader to visit the war-ravaged country in 20 years.

Turkey’s official humanitarian institutions, such as TİKA, the Turkish Red Crescent Kızılay, and Diyanet Foundation along with civil initiatives such as the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and Helping Hands, have implemented many development aid projects relating to infrastructure, education, health, and related fields. For instance, TİKA financed projects in Mogadishu that included rehabilitating the Digfer Hospital, constructing 33 kilometers of roads and building the Somalian Statehouse.