High-Level Turkish Delegation Expected in Mogadishu Ahead of President Erdogan’s Visit

A high-ranking delegation from the Turkish government is set to arrive in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu to prepare for the upcoming visit of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who recently announced his intention to visit Somalia early this month.

Turkish media reports indicate that the top delegation will depart for Mogadishu in the coming hours to hold preliminary meetings with officials from the Federal Government of Somalia and staff at the Turkish Embassy in Somalia.

Details regarding the exact timing of President Erdogan’s visit, the reception protocol, and the coordination between the delegation and the Somali Federal Government’s committee tasked with welcoming Erdogan will be finalized during these meetings.

President Erdogan’s visit to Mogadishu will be followed by a stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as mentioned in a recent post on his official X account, formerly known as Twitter.

Erdogan first visited Somalia in August 2011 when he was Turkey’s Prime Minister, during a time when Somalia was grappling with a severe drought, prompting many people to seek refuge in Mogadishu.

His visit marked a significant support effort for the then Transitional Federal Government, with humanitarian aid ships docking at Mogadishu’s port, breaking barriers to aid delivery to Somalia.

In 2015 and 2016, Erdogan returned to Somalia, inaugurating Turkey’s largest embassy in Africa, constructed on a vast tract of land provided by the Somali Federal Government in Mogadishu.