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Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ, who arrived in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on the first Turkish Airlines flight in order to inaugurate the twice-weekly passenger service to Somalia, had a meeting with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at Mogadishu International Airport. (Photo: AA)
7 March 2012 / ABDULLAH BOZKURT , MOGADISHU/ANKARA
A senior Turkish government official has said Turkey has doubled its efforts to rebuild arguably the world’s most deeply war-torn nation, Somalia, reaching out to different factions and tribes to bring internal reconciliation to the country.
Bekir Bozdağ, a deputy prime minister who is in charge of Somali affairs in the Turkish government, said on Tuesday that Turkey is extending all the help it can to Somalia to restore domestic peace and improve security conditions on the ground. “I conveyed this message to Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed during our conversation [at a meeting held at Mogadishu International Airport],” he said.
Bozdağ underlined that “Turkey will be pleased to see a positive outcome from its efforts to restore domestic peace,” adding that Ankara is ready to provide every kind of assistance to Somalia. He acknowledged that Somalia’s weak Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has asked Turkey to provide military assistance to rebuild the country’s police and military units. “This should be done within the framework of an international agreement,” he urged, stressing that this cannot be done in a short time span. “We are currently discussing this issue,” he noted.
The Turkish minister also announced that Turkey would be extending its assistance beyond Mogadishu by unveiling a plan to establish regional development offices both in the breakaway enclave of Somaliland and its neighbor, the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, in the north. “We have one development office in the Somali capital. Now we will set up two development offices, one in Somaliland and the other in Puntland,” he said, also confirming that Turkey is providing humanitarian assistance to the people in the south, where al-Shabaab is very strong.
Commenting on Turkish Airlines’ (THY) decision to launch regular flights to Mogadishu this week, Bozdağ said this was a major milestone in connecting Somalia to the outside world. “THY is the first major international carrier to run a regular service to the Somali capital in more than two decades,” he said, adding that this decision shows Turkey has confidence in the future of Somalia and wants to emphasize hope for the people living in this poverty and violence-stricken nation.
“First our Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan], his wife, Cabinet ministers, businessmen and celebrities came to Somalia last year. Then we reopened our embassy. Now we have started regular flights. All these are significant messages, I believe,” Bozdağ said, adding that Turkey is spearheading international efforts to help Somalia.
Erdoğan visited Somalia last August, the first non-African government leader to do so in nearly 20 years, and tasked Bozdağ with coordinating humanitarian and development assistance to Somalia. He oversees both governmental and nongovernmental organizations’ help to the country through the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA).
Bozdağ flew into Mogadishu on Monday night on the first THY flight to Somalia. The flights are scheduled to be twice a week from İstanbul via Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. “Somalia was cut off but we have now connected it to the world,” he stated. “We have repaired the airport and now international flights can use it. We have discussed this with the president and Turkey will also offer domestic flights inside Somalia,” he announced at the welcoming ceremony at the airport.
THY General Manager Temel Kotil, who accompanied the minister during the trip, told Today’s Zaman that THY is the first global carrier to make this courageous decision to start flights to Mogadishu. “There are some small and no-name airliners that operate flights to and from Mogadishu. But we are the first international carrier that decided to launch service to Somalia,” he said. By adding the Mogadishu flights to its network, Star Alliance member THY now reaches 190 destinations worldwide.
The Turkish minister also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to maintain assistance in the education and health industries to the Somali people. “We realize that you cannot sustain Somalia by simply providing food and medicine. It would be a much greater help to the Somali people if we are able to enhance their institutional and human capacity so that Somalia can stand on its own feet,” he explained. He said the scholarship and educational grants provided to young Somalis in Turkey would serve for that purpose. The Turkish minister also announced that Turkey will establish a nursing college and health vocational schools in Somalia to educate and train local health professionals.
Somalia has for the past seven years been ruled by the UN-backed TFG, whose authority is essentially limited to the capital and its surrounding areas. The government authority received a boost in recent months when the TFG, with the support of African Union soldiers, successfully launched an offensive against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabaab. The country has been trying to recover from the civil war since 1991, when warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and turned on each other. The UN last month approved an increase in the size of the AU peacekeeping mission -- known as AMISOM -- to about 17,700 from its current 12,000.
Bozdağ underlined that “Turkey will be pleased to see a positive outcome from its efforts to restore domestic peace,” adding that Ankara is ready to provide every kind of assistance to Somalia. He acknowledged that Somalia’s weak Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has asked Turkey to provide military assistance to rebuild the country’s police and military units. “This should be done within the framework of an international agreement,” he urged, stressing that this cannot be done in a short time span. “We are currently discussing this issue,” he noted.
The Turkish minister also announced that Turkey would be extending its assistance beyond Mogadishu by unveiling a plan to establish regional development offices both in the breakaway enclave of Somaliland and its neighbor, the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, in the north. “We have one development office in the Somali capital. Now we will set up two development offices, one in Somaliland and the other in Puntland,” he said, also confirming that Turkey is providing humanitarian assistance to the people in the south, where al-Shabaab is very strong.
Commenting on Turkish Airlines’ (THY) decision to launch regular flights to Mogadishu this week, Bozdağ said this was a major milestone in connecting Somalia to the outside world. “THY is the first major international carrier to run a regular service to the Somali capital in more than two decades,” he said, adding that this decision shows Turkey has confidence in the future of Somalia and wants to emphasize hope for the people living in this poverty and violence-stricken nation.
“First our Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan], his wife, Cabinet ministers, businessmen and celebrities came to Somalia last year. Then we reopened our embassy. Now we have started regular flights. All these are significant messages, I believe,” Bozdağ said, adding that Turkey is spearheading international efforts to help Somalia.
Erdoğan visited Somalia last August, the first non-African government leader to do so in nearly 20 years, and tasked Bozdağ with coordinating humanitarian and development assistance to Somalia. He oversees both governmental and nongovernmental organizations’ help to the country through the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA).
Bozdağ flew into Mogadishu on Monday night on the first THY flight to Somalia. The flights are scheduled to be twice a week from İstanbul via Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. “Somalia was cut off but we have now connected it to the world,” he stated. “We have repaired the airport and now international flights can use it. We have discussed this with the president and Turkey will also offer domestic flights inside Somalia,” he announced at the welcoming ceremony at the airport.
THY General Manager Temel Kotil, who accompanied the minister during the trip, told Today’s Zaman that THY is the first global carrier to make this courageous decision to start flights to Mogadishu. “There are some small and no-name airliners that operate flights to and from Mogadishu. But we are the first international carrier that decided to launch service to Somalia,” he said. By adding the Mogadishu flights to its network, Star Alliance member THY now reaches 190 destinations worldwide.
The Turkish minister also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to maintain assistance in the education and health industries to the Somali people. “We realize that you cannot sustain Somalia by simply providing food and medicine. It would be a much greater help to the Somali people if we are able to enhance their institutional and human capacity so that Somalia can stand on its own feet,” he explained. He said the scholarship and educational grants provided to young Somalis in Turkey would serve for that purpose. The Turkish minister also announced that Turkey will establish a nursing college and health vocational schools in Somalia to educate and train local health professionals.
Somalia has for the past seven years been ruled by the UN-backed TFG, whose authority is essentially limited to the capital and its surrounding areas. The government authority received a boost in recent months when the TFG, with the support of African Union soldiers, successfully launched an offensive against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabaab. The country has been trying to recover from the civil war since 1991, when warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and turned on each other. The UN last month approved an increase in the size of the AU peacekeeping mission -- known as AMISOM -- to about 17,700 from its current 12,000.
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