Turkish parliament approves two-year military deployment in Somalia

The Turkish parliament has approved a presidential motion to deploy the army to Somalia for two years to support security against terrorism and other threats within the framework of the Turkey-Somalia defence cooperation agreement.

The motion, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says Turkey has been providing training, assistance and advisory support in Somalia for more than 10 years to ensure security and stability and help restructure that country’s defense and security forces to combat terrorism.

The motion highlights that since 2009, the Turkish military has been actively supporting international efforts to combat piracy, armed robbery and maritime terrorism in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia (excluding Somali territorial waters), the Arabian Sea and adjacent regions.

The support is based on the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation and the United Nations Security Council resolution of 16 December 2008.

The mandate was recently extended by the Turkish parliament on January 17 for another year.