Politics
Israeli recognition of Somaliland would not benefit region: Erdoğan
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, reiterating concerns over the possible regional implications of such a move.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Erdoğan said Türkiye stands with the people of Africa on the basis of equal partnership and that Türkiye does not want to see new conflicts added to the suffering the Horn of Africa has already endured, emphasizing that regional problems should be resolved by regional actors and warning that Israel’s potential recognition of Somaliland would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa.
“As Türkiye, we never want new conflicts and suffering to be added to what the region has already endured,” Erdoğan said.
“We believe that solutions to regional problems should be developed by the countries of the region themselves and that the Horn of Africa must not be turned into a field of struggle for foreign powers. In this regard, I want to reiterate that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa.”
Erdoğan expressed satisfaction at visiting Ethiopia again after more than a decade and thanked Prime Minister Ahmed and Ethiopian authorities for their hospitality.
Noting that Türkiye opened its oldest embassy in sub-Saharan Africa in Addis Ababa in 1926, Erdoğan said the centennial anniversary of the mission’s establishment, coinciding with his visit, was a source of pride.
During meetings with Ethiopian officials, the two sides discussed cooperation in trade, investment, energy, mining, agriculture, communications and education, as well as ways to reach a bilateral trade volume target of $1 billion.
“We are pleased to be the second-largest investor in Ethiopia,” Erdoğan said, noting that more than 200 Turkish companies have invested approximately $2.5 billion in the country, providing employment to nearly 20,000 Ethiopians.
Turkish contracting firms have undertaken 15 projects in Ethiopia worth $2.6 billion, including railway transportation, factories, tourism facilities and energy transmission lines, he added, expressing hope that these investments would continue to grow.
Erdoğan underlined Ethiopia’s cultural and historical importance, particularly in terms of Islamic heritage, pointing to the Nejashi Tomb and Mosque – regarded as the first Muslim settlement in Africa – whose restoration was supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).
He said Türkiye would continue to build cultural bridges through TIKA and the Maarif Foundation, stressing that Ankara stands with the people of the region “on the basis of equal partnership and mutual understanding.”
Congratulating Prime Minister Ahmed for his efforts toward Ethiopia’s political, social and economic transformation, Erdoğan highlighted the importance of Ethiopia’s deep-rooted state tradition and governance at a time when global attention is focused on the Horn of Africa. He emphasized Ethiopia’s respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Erdoğan also recalled Türkiye’s mediation efforts between Ethiopia and Somalia under the Ankara Process and thanked both sides for their constructive approach.
“With stability, we see no obstacle to the Horn of Africa becoming a center of economic opportunity,” he said, expressing hope that his visit would contribute to peace and stability in the region.
The president also noted that Türkiye will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) in November and said cooperation with Ethiopia, which will host the following year’s meeting, would continue.
Following bilateral and interdelegation talks at the National Palace, Erdoğan and Ahmed oversaw the signing of several agreements.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday in an official visit, a first to the country since 2015.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed Erdoğan at an elaborate ceremony at the presidential palace.
Türkiye boosted ties with the country in recent years and acted as mediator in Ethiopia’s dispute with Somalia.
The two countries also mark 100 years since the opening of the Turkish Embassy in Addis Ababa and trace their relations back to the Ottoman times.
Both state-owned and private media outlets in Ethiopia have broadly portrayed the visit positively, emphasizing longstanding ties, growing economic engagement and Ankara’s diplomatic role in the region.
State-run Fana Broadcasting Corporation has framed the visit as a level up in bilateral relations. In one article about the Turkish president, the headline portrayed him as “the architect of the new Türkiye.” Private media outlet Addis Standard also reported on the visit, linking it to tensions in the Horn of Africa and Türkiye’s diplomatic engagement in the region. Its coverage said the two countries are expected to sign various cooperation agreements that have already been reached at the official level.
Speaking at an event marking the century-old bilateral relations, Türkiye’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Berk Baran, said Erdoğan’s visit marks “the elevation of already strong ties.”
“Türkiye and Ethiopia already enjoy a strategic relationship in various aspects, including political, economic and social relations,” he said.
Analysts say the relationship has been shaped by mutual political understanding, even when national interests differed.
“I believe Türkiye understands Ethiopia’s positions. We’ve seen this during the Nile dispute. We have seen this during its quest for sea access, and this stems from similarities of geographical context and statehood history,” said Ibrahim Mulushewa, a researcher and head of a think-tank based in Addis Ababa, speaking at a panel marking the centennial of ties.
He said this shared perspective has enabled direct engagement between the two countries. “Turkish understanding sometimes might not be on the same page, but at least both countries see the perspectives. And that very reason created dialogic and direct relations, which also made Türkiye succeed in mediating very sensitive regional matters like that of the Ethiopia-Somalia dispute, which was resolved through the historic Ankara declaration,” he said.
Erdoğan’s visit to Ethiopia will affirm Ankara’s commitment to peace between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu. Ethiopia’s deal with Somaliland for the use of ports and access to the sea has triggered a crisis with Somalia. In 2025, Türkiye stepped in and helped two countries sign the Ankara Declaration by hosting their leaders in the Turkish capital, de-escalating tensions in the region.
Türkiye and Ethiopia boosted their trade volume in 2025, with a 5% increase. Their trade volume currently stands at $253 million. Türkiye is among the four major investors in the African country.
Türkiye’s engagement with the continent gained unprecedented pace after Ankara declared 2005 as the “Year of Africa.” Erdoğan said this initiative opened a “new chapter” in their relations.
“Since then, 20 years have passed, and over these two decades, we have advanced our relations hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, and most importantly, heart to heart, to a level that could not even be imagined,” he told the Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum in Istanbul in October.
Ankara has repeatedly presented itself as a fairer player than the continent’s former colonial powers, touting cooperation based on equal partnership and a win-win principle.
Erdoğan himself has made more than 50 visits to African nations since he became prime minister in 2023.
Over the years, Türkiye increased the number of its embassies on the continent to 44.
The goal is to lift this figure to 50 in the short term. Currently, 38 African countries have embassies operating in Ankara.
Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş urged caution against social transformations affecting family dynamics.
Addressing the Human Rights and Family Summit organized by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Tuesday in Ankara, Göktaş underlined the need for protection of the family institution.
“The family is a central structure in the survival of society, an institution sustaining values and connecting generations with each other,” she said.
Türkiye declared 2025 as the “Year of the Family” and seeks to strengthen the institution both to preserve moral values and address the issue of an aging population.
Göktaş told the summit that urbanization, longer working hours and digitalization were among the factors pushing against the strength of the family.
“In addition, we face a global cultural pressure where identity and roles in the family are blurred through degenderizing,” she said. The minister said the ministry pursues reinforcing a family-friendly ecosystem and adaptive approaches that preserve the family. She noted that the government offered incentives to encourage marriages and children.
A looming population crisis and the state of the family dominate the government’s agenda in Türkiye, where the number of households without children accounts for 57% of total households in the country.
With the population replacement rate at 2.1, Türkiye has fallen below this critical threshold, with the total fertility rate declining to 1.48. Supporting fertility and family formation has become a vital necessity for the country.
Following last year’s designation as the “Year of the Family,” authorities decided to pursue family-centered policies over a 10-year period, maintaining a mobilization-style approach to population issues. Under the “Decade of Family and Population,” efforts to introduce new work models that allow women to balance work and family life remain on the agenda, while initiatives to expand the nationwide child care network have accelerated.
Hakan Fidan discussed the latest developments in Palestine during a phone conversation on Monday with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
The two ministers exchanged views on the latest developments in Palestine, the sources said.
No further information was provided regarding the phone conversation.
Earlier Sunday, the Israeli government approved a proposal to register vast areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” the first such measure since Israel occupied the territory in 1967.
Türkiye called on the international community to take a firm stance against Israeli attempts to create facts on the ground.
The ministry said Türkiye will continue to support efforts to “establish an independent, sovereign and contiguous” Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Monday hailed the launch of Türkiye’s deep-sea drilling mission off the coast of Somalia as a “historic” step, as Ankara’s deep-sea drillship Çağrı Bey makes its way to begin its first overseas mission.
“Today, with Çağrı Bey, we may be witnessing the beginning of something greater – the opening chapter of real economic transformation,” Barre wrote on his X account.
He described the mission as a moment when Somalia’s natural wealth begins to drive national strength and deliver the long-awaited impact for the people.
“Generations of our people have grown up hearing that Somalia is rich in resources; yet for decades, they have waited to see that promise fulfilled. That wait is ending. Better days are on the horizon,” Barre said.
He praised Somalia’s “Turkish brothers,” led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for choosing Somalia as the first destination of the historic mission.
“This decision is more than strategic – it is a symbol of trust crossing distances and a testament to the evolving partnership between Türkiye and Somalia, rooted in brotherhood and a shared belief in a better tomorrow,” he added.
Çağrı Bey, which departed from the southern port of Taşucu in Mersin province on Sunday, is expected to reach Mogadishu in about 45 days and begin drilling in April at the Curad-1 well.
Türkiye and Somalia signed agreements in 2024 covering onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration. The seismic vessel Oruç Reis previously completed surveys in three offshore blocks.
Security forces on Tuesday apprehended 88 suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the culprit of a 2016 coup attempt.
Suspects were targets of operations that were a culmination of two separate investigations in Istanbul and central Türkiye’s Kayseri.
Kayseri police, in coordination with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), launched operations in four cities, including Kayseri, Istanbul, Adana and Mersin, after eight months of surveillance. A total of 70 suspects were captured in operations. Along with unlicensed guns, police found hidden video and audio recorders in raided locations, along with printed and digital propaganda material, security sources said.
In Istanbul, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday that 18 suspects, including 16 public official,s were detained in operations against FETÖ in eight cities. The office said suspects were identified through a FETÖ database supplied by a secret eyewitness codenamed “Garson” and logs of encrypted messages between suspects.
“Garson,” a former member of the group, delivered an encrypted database of the group to police years ago. MIT deciphered the database in six years and discovered 3,000 infiltrators of FETÖ within the Turkish National Police. Statements of “Garson” indicate that FETÖ maintained surveillance on 320,000 members of the police force for 16 years, up until its notorious first attempt to topple the government in December 2013. Speaking about the lists, “Garson” told investigators that they were created by the group’s handlers of infiltrators within law enforcement and they were regularly presented to FETÖ leadership, to give insight about the scope of their infiltration. The lists contain all details about officers in terms of their affiliation with the group and rate them on their “loyalty.”
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul said Tuesday’s operations also netted two “secret imams” of FETÖ, handlers of infiltrators, and 16 other suspects who were public officials loyal to those so-called imams. Operations were held in Istanbul, Ankara, Elazığ, Gaziantep, Kastamonu, Kayseri and Samsun to capture the suspects.
Hüseyin Yayman, deputy chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), stressed on Monday that no early elections will be held in 2026 or early 2027, dismissing opposition calls for a snap vote and reiterating that the next general elections are scheduled for 2028.
Yayman told a party meeting in the western province of Uşak that elections would take place on time in 2028, according to remarks carried by local media.
“Türkiye will not have early elections in 2026 or at the beginning of 2027,” Yayman said, accusing the opposition of repeatedly raising the issue after losing multiple contests over the past two decades.
Speaking at an expanded provincial advisory council meeting organized by the party’s Uşak branch, Yayman said the AK Party had entered a period of consolidation and renewal following the March 31 local elections. He added that opinion polls show the party remains in first place and that it is working under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to widen its lead.
Yayman said the ruling party focuses on “the people and the streets” rather than on its main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP). He criticized CHP-run municipalities, alleging mismanagement and wasteful spending despite ongoing urban challenges such as water shortages and traffic congestion.
He underlined the AK Party’s record in power, pointing to investments in transportation, health care and other public services. Türkiye has drawn admiration from abroad, he said, while accusing the opposition of engaging in disinformation and perception campaigns that undermine the country’s development and global standing.
On the timing of the next presidential vote, Yayman suggested that Parliament could decide to bring elections forward by a few months, potentially to October or November 2028, to facilitate President Erdoğan’s candidacy. He stressed, however, that any such decision would rest with the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM).
Yayman also addressed the government’s “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative, describing it as a state and national policy rather than a negotiation or concession process. He said a parliamentary commission chaired by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş was expected to convene midweek and present a report outlining further steps.
-
Politics3 days agoParliament seeks more input on key report for terror-free Türkiye
-
Daily Agenda3 days ago“4th European Turkish Media Summit” was held in Germany
-
Politics2 days agoErdoğan hits the road for Gaza, Somalia, visits UAE, Ethiopia
-
Politics2 days agoErdoğan, UAE leader talk about expanding ties in phone call
-
Sports3 days agoKlaebo sets Winter Games gold record, Kingsbury bows out in style
-
Politics2 days agoTürkiye condemns Israel’s ‘illegal’ move for West Bank land grabs
-
Daily Agenda3 days agoMinister Göktaş: “We are implementing our social media regulation very soon”
-
Politics3 days agoTürkiye rejects EP resolutions as ‘baseless,’ warns against interference