Turkey to send aid ship to Puntland and Somaliland

Turkish government pledged to deliver humanitarian assistance to drought-hit regions in the semi-autonomous regional state and the breakaway Somaliland where thousands of people including children are at risk of malnutrition.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who visited Somalia’s capital Friday said that his government will send a ship carrying aid to Puntland and Somaliland.

The move comes less than a week after a Turkish ship carrying aid for drought-affected Somali civilians arrived in Somalia’s capital.

The aid which weighs 11,000 tons was handed over to the Somali government.

The Turkish government spent more than $500 million in humanitarian and development aid to Somalia since 2011, making it the largest recipient of Turkish aid in Africa

During his visit to Mogadishu, Erdogan inaugurated Turkey’s new embassy.

The embassy, one of Turkey’s largest worldwide, overlooks the Indian Ocean and stands next to the Abdulaziz Mosque built by the Ottoman Empire some 10 centuries ago.

On Friday, Turkey and Somalia signed bilateral agreements on police training, education, and energy.