By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Turkey has struck a deal with Somalia to send an exploration vessel off the coast of the African country for the exploration of oil and gas.
Turkish leader, President Tayyip Erdogan, had late Friday presented a bill before parliament, seeking authorisation for the deployment of Turkish military forces, including naval support, to Somalia’s territorial waters, state-owned Anadolu Agency reported.
This development comes after the Turkish energy ministry announced that an exploration vessel will be dispatched later this year as part of a hydrocarbon cooperation deal with Somalia.
The agreement, signed on Thursday in Istanbul, grants Turkey exclusive rights to explore and produce hydrocarbons in three offshore blocks, each covering 5,000 square kilometers.
The signing ceremony was attended by Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and Somalia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Abdirizak Omar Mohamed.
Minister Bayraktar said two of the blocks are located approximately 50 kilometers offshore, while the third is 100 kilometers from the coast.
Initial three-dimensional seismic activities will commence in the designated areas with the Oruc Reis ship, set to begin operations by the end of September or early October.
Heritage Times HT reports that earlier in the year, Turkey and Somalia strengthened their bilateral ties with a defence and economic cooperation agreement signed during the Somali defence minister’s visit to Ankara.
Turkey has emerged as a significant ally to the Somali government, contributing to the nation’s development through the construction of schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, as well as offering scholarships for Somali students to study in Turkey.
In 2017, Turkey inaugurated its largest overseas military base in Mogadishu and has been actively involved in training Somali military and police forces.
