Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is signing two separate agreements with political parties in Ethiopia and Somalia to deepen strategic ties with the two East African countries.
On Wednesday, AKP’s deputy chairman, Zafer Sirakaya, met Abdurahman Mohamed Hussein, the secretary-general of Somalia’s ruling Union for Peace and Development Party (UPD), in Ankara to sign a memorandum of understanding for closer bilateral cooperation between the parties.
Turkish officials told Middle East Eye that a similar agreement will be signed with Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party (PP) in Addis Ababa on Friday.
According to officials, the agreement will facilitate joint research, training, consultations and information sharing between the parties.
The AKP, which has ruled Turkey for two decades, hopes to pass on its governing experience to its allies in both countries, foster civil society collaboration and promote bilateral trade.
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Turkey maintains neutrality between Ethiopia and Somalia and has acted as a mediator in talks to resolve tensions in the Horn of Africa.
These tensions were exacerbated following Ethiopia’s signing of a naval agreement with the self-declared breakaway Republic of Somaliland in 2024.
‘Somalia included in every process’
A source with knowledge of the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, told MEE that Turkey had initially planned to sign the cooperation deal with Ethiopia last autumn but delayed it to avoid appearing biased in the dispute.
In December, Somalia and Ethiopia signed a memorandum in Ankara after seven hours of intense negotiations, which affirmed Somalia’s territorial integrity and initiated discussions on granting Ethiopia access to the sea via the Somali coast.
While the deal resolved the primary cause of contention between the two nations, relations remain strained.
In recent years, Somalia has strengthened ties with Egypt, which has its own ongoing tensions with Ethiopia over the river Nile’s water resource rights.
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“What stands out here is that [Ankara] does not take any step in the region without considering Somalia. Somalia is included in every process,” said Tunc Demirtas, a regional expert affiliated with the Ankara-based think tank Seta.
He further explained that Turkey maintains a “regional perspective” in the Horn of Africa and is working to cultivate ties with other countries in the area.
Sources said that the AKP delegation, led by Sirakaya, is also expected to sign a similar memorandum of understanding with Djibouti next week to the one signed with Somalia and Ethiopia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enjoys amiable relations with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, partly due to Ankara’s decision to sell armed drones to Ethiopia in 2021.
The drones played a crucial part in helping Ethiopian forces repel insurgent advances in the capital.
Turkey’s relationship with Somalia is more extensive and long-standing.
Somalia hosts a large Turkish military base in Mogadishu, while Turkish companies operate key infrastructure, including the city’s port and airport.
Amid tensions with Ethiopia, Somalia signed a defence and economic cooperation agreement with Turkey in February.
The agreement allowed Ankara to build, train and equip the Somali Navy and defend Somalia’s territorial waters.
The deal also granted Turkey the right to explore energy resources along Somalia’s coast.
