Somalia's President Defends Oil Deal With Turkey Amid Criticism

Somalia's President Defends Oil Deal With Turkey Amid Criticism

Mogadishu, Somalia -- Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has defended the recent oil exploration deal with Turkey, calling it a mutually beneficial agreement after online criticism emerged over the terms.

The EU and Turkey have been an open-ended history for decades. In 1963 Turkey signed the Ankara Association Agreement with the then European Economic Community (EEC). In 2005 it was a matter of concrete accession negotiations to the EU. But Turkey, among other things, does not meet the EU's demands in terms of the rule of law and human rights. The migration crisis in 2013 and 2015 makes Turkey an important EU ally in order to withdraw refugees w…

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Defends Somalia-Turkey Oil Deal, Citing “Mutual Benefits” – Somali Dispatch

MOGADISHU (SD) President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has defended the recent oil agreement between Somalia and Turkey, stating that it is based on “shared benefits.” The President noted that no other country had previously engaged Somalia in discussions about its offshore and onshore oil and gas resources, making this the first time in history that oil exploration is being conducted in Somalia. “Offshore oil exploration is currently underway, as you h…