A Panel on Türkiye-Somalia Relations and Combating Disinformation was Held

The program, which was held at Aden Adde International Airport, was attended by the Speaker of the People's Assembly of the Somali Parliament, Abdülkadir Mohamed Nur, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Somalia Abdulfatah Kasim Mohamud, Presidential Directorate of Communications Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM) Coordinator Deniz Demir, Honorary Consul of Somalia in Afyonkarahisar Onur Çelik, Director of the Office of the President of the People's Assembly of the Federal Parliament of Somalia Mohamed Haji Yusuf and Somaville University Faculty Member Prof. Yahya Amir Hagi İbrahim attended.

SETA Foreign Policy Researcher Dr. In the panel moderated by Tunç Demirtaş, the history of Türkiye-Somalia relations, current areas of cooperation, the future of the strategic partnership and disinformation activities targeting the two countries were discussed.

“Relations have reached the level of strategic partnership”

Speaking at the opening of the program, Nur, Speaker of the People's Assembly of the Somali Parliament, thanked the Presidency of Communications, the Somali Presidency, the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and other institutions that contributed to the organization of the event.

Stating that the new era between Turkey and Somalia started with humanitarian aid, Nur said that the relations soon spread to the fields of development and trade, and today they have turned into a strategic partnership covering many areas including diplomacy, economy and defense.

Pointing out that as the cooperation between the two countries develops, disinformation activities targeting this relationship also intensify, Nur said, "We must increase our efforts to combat misleading information spread in order to make the partnership of the two countries look ugly and discredit it to a level that can respond to the size of the current threat." he said.

Nur emphasized that the biggest danger of disinformation is that it undermines the trust between the Somali and Turkish people based on human and Islamic values ​​and deep-rooted historical ties, and asked for the strengthening of cooperation between state institutions working in the fields of media and public opinion.

Noting that social media has become more effective than traditional media, Nur stated that this area should be prioritized in the communication strategies of the two countries.

Nur said, "The strongest response to disinformation is to make successive successes and progress, and at the same time to ensure that accurate information reaches the segments that are intended to be misled." he said.

“Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity are not open to negotiation.”

Somali Information, Culture and Tourism Minister Mohamud stated that the relations that started with humanitarian aid and development activities have turned into a comprehensive strategic partnership covering security and defense, energy, fisheries, infrastructure, ports, aviation, investment, education, health and institutional development.

Stating that relations are built not only between governments but also on the strong sense of friendship and brotherhood between the Somali and Turkish people, Mohamud said, "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia are not open to negotiation." he said.

Mohamud said that disinformation, manipulated narratives, coordinated perception operations and propaganda of terrorist organizations are used to influence public opinion, undermine trust in state institutions, create divisions within society and distort the international perception of Somalia.

Pointing out that as Turkey-Somalia cooperation spreads to strategic sectors, discourses that try to misrepresent the nature, purpose and benefits of the partnership may emerge, Mohamud said, "We should not allow a partnership whose results can be seen on the field to be defined with false narratives." he said.

While DMM Coordinator Demir stated that disinformation has become a risk and threat targeting the decision-making processes of states, social trust, international reputation and public order, Yusuf, Director of the Office of the President of the People's Assembly of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, noted that Somali graduates educated in Turkey today work in ministries, the army, hospitals, the central bank and the parliament, and stated that human resources constitute the strongest bridge between the two countries.

The historical dimension of relations was discussed

Somaville University Faculty Member Prof. Yahya Amir Hagi İbrahim explained the historical development of relations between Türkiye and Somalia.

Stating that the Ottoman Empire provided firearms, artillery, soldiers and military expertise to the Adal Sultanate in the 16th century, İbrahim stated that this cooperation was part of the Ottoman-Portuguese rivalry in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Ibrahim said that the Ottoman Empire and the Acuran Sultanate had common strategic interests against Portugal's expansion in the Indian Ocean and the East African coast, and that the Ottoman authorities had contact with the anti-colonial Dervish movement during the First World War.

Onur Çelik, Honorary Consul of Somalia to Afyonkarahisar, said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Mogadishu in 2011, during the period of famine and security crisis, changed the world's perspective on Somalia.

Representatives of the Turkish Red Crescent, Somali Maarif Schools affiliated with the Turkish Maarif Foundation, Mogadishu Somali-Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and many guests attended the program.

The program ended with awards being presented and a family photo taken.