President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohammed on Turkey:

President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohammed on Turkey:

What makes Turkey's relationship with Somalia unique is what happened when Somalia was completely isolated.

At that critical moment, Erdoğan, who was then Prime Minister of Turkey, arrived in Somalia. He did not come alone - he came with his family, his government, most of his ministers and a large part of the Turkish parliament.

He didn't just come to the airport and leave. He went to displaced persons camps and aid distribution sites. His wife and daughters were with him. He got out of his car and talked to kids on the street.

He asked one boy: "Why aren't you at school?" The boy said: "We don't have a school." He asked: "Where are your parents?" The boy said: "My mother is sick in bed." He asked: "Why don't you take her to a hospital?" The boy said: "There is no hospital." From that moment, hospitals and schools began to be built. They brought the world's attention back to Somalia.

No one wanted to invest in Somalia because it was considered too risky. But Turkey came and invested in Mogadishu Airport, Mogadishu Port, and now, for the first time in our history, in oil and gas.