presidential motion to extend the deployment of Turkish Armed Forces in Somalia for an additional two years beginning July 27, authorizing troops to support the country’s efforts against terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and other security threats, including operations within Somalia’s maritime jurisdiction.
The motion, submitted to parliament by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was debated in the Grand National Assembly’s General Assembly session on Tuesday.
The mandate renewal extends a deployment framework first authorized in 2024 and covers jointly determined areas on land and at sea, with the scope, scale and timing left to presidential discretion.
A partnership rooted in more than a decade of engagement
The presidential motion underscored that Türkiye has maintained broad political, social, economic and security cooperation with the Federal Government of Somalia since 2011.
It cited a series of bilateral agreements, including frameworks on military training, defense industry cooperation and military financial collaboration, as the legal basis for ongoing training, advisory and assistance activities.
The motion noted that while Somali defense and security forces possess adequate personnel and resources, economic constraints have prevented them from fully performing their duties.
The Federal Government of Somalia formally requested Turkish military support under the terms of a defense and economic cooperation framework agreement, seeking assistance against terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing and trafficking.
The mandate renewal also references a December 1, 2023 United Nations Security Council resolution on Somalia’s counterterrorism efforts, situating the deployment within a broader international framework.
The motion described the deployment’s aims as helping Somalia secure its economic resources, stabilize a region critical to Turkish maritime trade, and reinforce Türkiye’s contributions to counterterrorism and anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and surrounding waters.
Source:Turkiye today
