Turkey's Erdogan says Israeli decision to recognise Somaliland unacceptable, illegal

Turkish President ‍Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday ⁠that Israel's decision to formally recognise of the self-declared Republic of ‌Somaliland ‌was an illegal and unacceptable ‌step, adding that it was trying to drag the horn of Africa into destabilisation.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Somali counterpart Hassan ‌Sheikh ‍Mohamud in Istanbul, ‍Erdogan also said Turkey was ‌planning on starting offshore energy drilling off the coast of Somalia in 2026 as per a bilateral agreement, adding ‍that it was adding two new drilling ‍vessels to ⁠its ⁠fleet.

Erdogan also said Turkey planned to establish a space port in Somalia as part of bilateral agreements, but did not provide further details.