Turkey deepens ties with Somalia and Ethiopia through political deals

Turkey's ruling party is actively expanding its strategic presence in the Horn of Africa, planning to establish close cooperative ties with Djibouti. Simultaneously, Turkey is signing agreements with the ruling parties of Ethiopia and Somalia, aiming to deepen strategic connections with these two East African nations.

Zafir Sirakaya, the Deputy Chairman of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP), met with Abdurahman Mohamed Hussein, Secretary-General of Somalia's ruling Peace and Development Union (UPD), in Ankara, where they signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two parties. According to Turkish officials, a similar agreement will also be signed in Addis Ababa on Friday with Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party (PP). These agreements will facilitate cooperation in joint research, training, consulting, and information sharing.

The Turkish ruling party hopes to share its governance experience with its allies in Ethiopia and Somalia through these collaborations, promote civil society cooperation, and boost bilateral trade. Turkey maintains a neutral stance between Ethiopia and Somalia and has played a mediating role in negotiations to resolve tensions in the Horn of Africa, which were exacerbated by Ethiopia's signing of a naval agreement with the self-declared independent Republic of Somaliland in 2024.

An anonymous source revealed that Turkey initially planned to sign a cooperation agreement with Ethiopia last autumn, but postponed the signing to avoid appearing biased in the dispute. Last December, Somalia and Ethiopia signed a memorandum in Ankara after seven hours of tense negotiations, affirming Somalia's territorial integrity and initiating discussions on allowing Ethiopia access to the sea through the Somali coast. Despite the agreement addressing key disputes between the two countries, relations remain strained.

In recent years, Somalia has strengthened its ties with Egypt, which itself has ongoing tensions with Ethiopia over Nile River water rights. Tunç Demirtaş, a regional expert at the Ankara-based think tank Seta, stated, "It is noteworthy that any action taken by [Ankara] in the region takes Somalia into account. Somalia is included in every process." He further explained that Turkey maintains a "regional perspective" in the Horn of Africa and strives to establish connections with other countries in the region.

Sources indicate that a Turkish Justice and Development Party delegation, led by Sirakaya, is also expected to sign a similar memorandum of understanding with Djibouti next week. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan enjoys a friendly relationship with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, partly due to Ankara's decision to sell armed drones to Ethiopia in 2021. These drones played a crucial role in helping Ethiopian forces repel rebels from the capital. Turkey's relationship with Somalia is more extensive and long-standing, with Somalia hosting a large Turkish military base in Mogadishu and Turkish companies operating key infrastructure, including the city's port and airport. Amidst tensions with Ethiopia, Somalia signed a defense and economic cooperation agreement with Turkey in February, allowing Ankara to build, train, and equip the Somali navy and defend Somali territorial waters, while also granting Turkey the right to explore energy resources off the Somali coast.