MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi met with Mesut Ozcan, the director of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, in the capital Mogadishu late Monday.

The two sides discussed enhancing cooperation in the critical areas of diplomatic training and expanding the knowledge base for diplomats.

A statement issued by the Somali Foreign Ministry after the meeting said the discussions also delved into fortifying the relationship between the Turkish academy and the Somali Diplomatic Institute, with a “view to elevating the partnership and fostering a robust exchange of experiences and best practices.”

It said Fiqi expressed profound gratitude to Türkiye for its steadfast support to Somalia.

Ankara has trained more than 80 Somali diplomats over the past 15 years, according to the ministry’s statement.

Somalia and Türkiye developed their close friendship in 2011 after Turkish President (then Prime Minister) Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a visit to the country – the first non-African leader to do so in over 20 years.

Türkiye has strong historical ties with Somalia on the principle of “win-win” relations, including more than 150 development aid projects carried out by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) since 2011.

Türkiye also has its largest embassy in Africa in Mogadishu and built its largest overseas military facility there to train the Somali National Army.