The discussions occurred during President Erdogan’s brief official visit to Riyadh, where both leaders examined regional issues, political cooperation, and developments in the Horn of Africa, with Somalia being a central topic of conversation.
The preservation of Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity emerged as the focal point of discussions between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, with both nations reiterating their common stance against separatist movements and alternative political structures deemed to jeopardize stability in the Horn of Africa.
Details were shared following a summit between the two leaders in Riyadh. The matter was addressed during talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The meeting formed part of President Erdogan’s single-day official visit to the Saudi capital, where both leaders assessed regional matters, political alignment, and changes impacting Horn of African nations, with Somalia taking precedence in their deliberations.
According to a statement from Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, the two leaders affirmed their continued alignment on Somalia issues and declared their ‘unwavering support’ for the unity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, along with initiatives to maintain stability, development, and the well-being of the Somali people, while emphasizing that respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity must underpin regional engagement.
The communiqué revealed that Ankara and Riyadh harbor concerns about measures perceived to undermine Somalia’s political structure and diminish institutions functioning under the federal government’s authority, with both parties concurring that backing alternative systems or separatist agendas might generate circumstances that intensify tensions and hinder peace and cooperation endeavors.
The leaders also examined recent Somaliland developments during their meeting, rejecting actions that could intensify internal divisions in Somalia and establish precedents contradicting recognized international standards of state sovereignty and territorial integrity, while warning that such measures might extend consequences beyond Somalia’s frontiers.
Both leaders specifically censured the mutual recognition agreement between Israeli authorities and the Somaliland region, asserting that this action bolsters unilateral separatist efforts and compromises Somalia’s sovereignty, while neglecting the stance of the Somali government and dismissing established frameworks for interstate relations.
Israel declared in late December of the previous year that it had acknowledged Somaliland as a sovereign nation, a decision eliciting reactions from Somalia and various allies who contended that the action infringes upon Somalia’s territorial integrity and intervenes in domestic matters, while sparking apprehension about potential impacts on regional relations.
In 1991, following the dissolution of the central government, Somal proclaimed its independence from Somalia. Since then, it has operated as a self-governing territory with its own governance and security mechanisms, despite lacking formal international recognition as an independent nation.
Notwithstanding this context, Somalia’s federal government maintains that Somaliland constitutes an essential component of the nation’s territory and has persistently opposed external interactions that consider the region as a distinct entity, urging partners to honor Somalia’s unity and engage through institutions headquartered in Mogadishu.