Somalia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Daahir Shire Mohamed, received Türkiye’s Ambassador to Somalia, Ferhat Alkan, at the ministry’s headquarters for talks on strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the development of Somalia’s natural resources.

In a statement, Somalia’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said the meeting focused on strengthening relations between the two countries, particularly in developing and harnessing Somalia’s natural resources.

The two sides also discussed opportunities for cooperation in the petroleum and mineral resources sectors and ways to strengthen bilateral collaboration to accelerate Somalia’s economic development, the ministry said.

The minister thanked the ambassador for his visit and what the ministry described as a “fruitful discussion”, stressing the importance of further strengthening cooperation between Somalia and Türkiye.

“The ministry is committed to developing the country’s natural resources and strengthening international cooperation to achieve sustainable development,” the statement said.

Energy cooperation and offshore exploration

In a separate statement, the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu said the meeting had provided an opportunity to discuss “the current state of Türkiye-Somalia energy cooperation and its future prospects”.

The two sides also examined joint projects aimed at ensuring that Somalia’s energy resources contribute to the national economy and the welfare of its people, alongside opportunities to develop the country’s technical capacity, the embassy said.

Discussions also covered the operations of Türkiye’s Çağrı Bey ultra-deepwater drilling platform, which is conducting hydrocarbon exploration activities off the Somali coast.

“Türkiye will continue to support Somalia’s efforts to harness its natural resources, develop its institutional and technical capacity in the energy sector and achieve its sustainable development goals through joint projects,” the embassy said.

The embassy also thanked Minister Shire for his strong support for energy cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting forms part of broader efforts by Somalia and Türkiye to expand cooperation in petroleum, mining and energy, as both countries seek to advance joint initiatives and strengthen Somalia’s capacity to develop its natural resources.