Top academic Amir: Somalia abandoned 'alone' before Türkiye's support came

The growing ties between Türkiye and Somalia have continued to attract attention with experts highlighting the win-win benefits.

Türkiye and Somalia have been collaborating in the areas of education, security and energy exploration in recent years as Somalia recovers from the effects of armed conflicts and natural disasters it suffered for years.

"Before Türkiye came, we were alone like the only child of our parents," Prof. Yahya Amir, who works on the history of Somalia, told Anadolu Agency.

Amir had served as an advisor to Somalia’s president and a member of the board of directors of the Somalia Central Bank. He also worked at the World Bank and different universities around the world.

"The Somali people unite when a problem arises from outside. But when we look at it internally, there are some conflicts, both internal and external influences," Amir said.

Pointing out that the city of Mogadishu is safe today, Amir pointed out that there are "problems within the government and they are fuelled by some countries".

"After Türkiye came, we felt that we had a brother who at least thinks like us and wants Somalia to develop and become stronger. Many countries say they want Somalia to develop, but in fact they don't; they want to keep us down. But despite all the risks, Türkiye invested in Somalia and trained our soldiers," he observed.

‘Brotherly country’

Underlining that the most important thing for him as a university professor is education, Amir stated that even if politicians change in Somalia, Türkiye has never changed its policy while other countries change their policies.

"(Türkiye's) policy is fixed; they always want to help the Somali people. For this reason, it doesn't matter whether it is the opposition or the government, go to the market, ask the people on the street, students, business people, everyone will say to you: 'Our only brother is Türkiye.' Because they are the only country that has decided to share our risk and trouble."

Pointing out that some countries define themselves as "donors", but in fact they always give their investments and aid conditionally, Amir stated that all of what Türkiye gives is a part of the development of this country. "Türkiye is actually a partner in this development." he added.