Somalia has invited Turkey to search for oil deposits off the coast. “There is an offer from Somalia,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told NTV during the return flight from the Libya conference. “They tell us: ‘There is oil in our waters.'”
–
Turkey can proceed there as it already does in Libya. “This is very important for us,” said Erdogan about the offer. Appropriate steps would therefore be taken, he said, without giving any details.
Turkey has provided extensive aid to Somalia since the 2011 famine. Turkish engineers are helping build roads in the African country and Turkish soldiers have helped build the military. The government in Ankara is trying to expand its influence in the Horn of Africa, also to counter other hegemonic powers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
–
Erdogan For example, Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj also pledged to support him militarily in the civil war against warlord Khalifa Haftar, who is considered a protector of the UAE. In parallel, the two politicians signed an agreement on the exploitation of gas in the Mediterranean. In this way, they divided the Mediterranean between themselves – and ignored the fact that Greek islands, such as Crete, lie in the affected area. Erdogan announced that he plans to drill for oil in the eastern Mediterranean later this year.
–
