Turkey Expands Energy Footprint in Somalia With New Drilling Plans

GOOBJOOG NEWS | ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey plans to establish a spaceport in Somalia and begin offshore energy drilling operations there from 2026, under agreements signed between the two countries, underscoring their deepening strategic partnership.

“Under the agreements we have signed, we plan to establish a spaceport in Somalia,” Erdogan said at a joint news conference in Istanbul with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Erdogan said Turkey had added two new deep-sea drilling vessels to its energy fleet and intended to deploy them for exploration activities off Somalia’s coast next year, adding the projects would contribute to Somalia’s economic development.

The Turkish leader also condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, calling the move “illegitimate and unacceptable.” Israel last week became the first country to recognise the breakaway region.

Erdogan said Somalia had made notable security gains despite continued attempts by “saboteurs” to undermine its recovery.

President Mohamud welcomed Turkey’s support, saying Somalia had felt Ankara’s backing as it confronts threats to its territorial integrity. He described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position on Somaliland as unacceptable.

Somaliland has operated as a self-declared state since breaking away from Somalia in 1991, but it lacks international recognition. Somalia’s federal government considers the region an integral part of its territory and rejects foreign engagement with its authorities.

Erdogan formally received Mohamud at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Presidential Office, where the two leaders held bilateral talks followed by a wider meeting between their delegations. Senior Turkish officials, including the foreign, defence and energy ministers, attended the talks.