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Turkey's president decided to visit Somalia despite a bomb exploding near a hotel in Mogadishu where a Turkish delegation was staying.
World Bulletin / News Desk
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan travelled to the Somali capital Mogadishu under heavy security on Sunday, making his second visit in four years to promise further investment in the country as it struggles to rebuild after two decades of conflict.
Erdogan, who in 2011 became the first non-African leader to go to Somalia in nearly 20 years, visited various projects that have benefited from Turkish investment, including a new airport terminal and a rehabilitated seaport.
Turkey was a major contributor to the humanitarian aid effort at the height of the 2011 famine and Ankara continues to build hospitals and dispatch aid across Somalia.
In a statement welcoming the visit, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Turkish aid has been a "force of nature" for Somalia.
"Turkey did not hold back, waiting for stability before it invested. Instead, it invested to achieve it," he said.
"Somalia is recovering and achieving significant developments, such as taking control of several areas that were in the grip of Al-Shabaab militant movement," Mohamoud said in a statement on the sidelines of an ongoing visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Mogadishu.
"If it had not been for Turkey's generous support, along with the rest of the international community, we wouldn't have achieved such progress," Mohamoud added.
Mohamoud went on to say that Turkey's contribution to the development and stability in Somalia is "an indication of the fraternal relations [between the two countries], especially in such critical period we are going through."
"We hope that this relationship continues after Somalia achieves prosperity and stability," he said.
INVESTMENTS
Erdogan attended Sunday the official opening of a 200-bed Somalia-Turkey Training and Research Hospital in Mogadishu.
The two countries signed a protocol stipulating that the hospital would be operated jointly and that the Turkish Health Ministry would provide specialized personnel and financial support for the next five years, after which the hospital will be run by Somalia.
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) -- Turkey's international development body -- undertook the project.
The estimate amount of the hospital’s operating budget is around $135.7 million, of which Turkey will contribute $85.6 million during the five-year period.
Some 36 Somali assistants are expected take part in the hospital’s training program each year.
Some 52 Turkish and 91 local staff will work as hospital administrators, head doctors, administrative directors or financial directors. Security will be provided by 40 Somalis and five Turkish citizens.
The hospital will have children, maternity, urology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, internal medicine, general surgery, anesthesia, eye and dental branches.
The 13,500-square-meter indoor space boasts 12 intensive care beds, 14 newborn intensive care beds, 20 incubators, four operating rooms, a delivery room, as well as radiology and laboratory units.
Erdogan also attended the inauguration ceremony of a new terminal at Mogadishu Airport, constructed by the private Turkish construction company, Kozuva.
"I wish this building will bring good luck to Somalia, which has gone through hard times," he said.
"Somali people will never forget the aid of Turkish people," said Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who went to Somalia Mogadishu recently, said they will provide contribution to Somalia's reconstruction process with 10 thousand houses at first phase
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who went to Somalia Mogadishu recently, said they will provide contribution to Somalia's reconstruction process with 10 thousand houses at first phase.
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Somalia President Hasan Şeyh Mahmud in Mogadishu. At the press conference, which was after the meeting, Erdoğan said that Turkey contributes to the reconstruction process in Somalia for more than 3 years. Erdoğan, "We are negotiating with President Hasan Şeyh Mahmud about house building plans in Somalia and we will built 10 thousand houses in Somalia which will change the image of the city. The project contains houses for low-income groups with 45-65 -85 m2 areas. I believe first stage of this project will be completed in 1 or 2 years and we will start to the second stage immediately."
Turkey build huge orphanage school for Somali children in Mogadishu.
The Human Rights and Freedoms Humanitarian Aid Foundation will build an orphanage complex in Mogadishu, Somalia that can shelter 200 children.
A Turkish aid foundation will construct an orphanage in Somalia, hit by civil wars and drought, a foundation statement said on Tuesday.
The Human Rights and Freedoms (IHH) Humanitarian Aid Foundation will build an orphanage complex in Mogadishu, Somalia that can shelter 200 children.
Around 1,200 children can take education in a school that will be constructed in the complex, expected to cost about 1.3 billion USD.
The complex will have education, accommodation, worship and sports centers, as well as a health clinic, market, and restaurant.
Somalia is currently faced with one of the worst droughts in the past 60 years.
The epicenter of the drought lies on the three-way border shared by Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, a nomadic region where families heavily depend on the health of their livestock. Uganda and Djibouti have also been hit by the disaster.
Tens of thousands of people have so far been displaced due to the humanitarian situation in the region.
Turkey has promised to rebuild the Somali parliament building in the heart of Mogadishu.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, on a visit to Somalia, assured the work would start soon.
“The Turkish Government is going to demolish the old building of the parliament and completely rebuild it,” said Mr Davutoglu, amid cheers from Somali legislators.
The minister arrived in Mogadishu and immediately proceeded to the Peoples’ Hall, the building hosting the Somali Federal Parliament, where he joined a session being held by the MPs.
Turkish companies are meanwhile set to undertake the rebuilding of the dilapidated infrastructure of the Somali capital city.
On Tuesday, Turkish institutions displayed heavy equipments ready to be used for the rebuilding of the infrastructure.
A Turkish official stated that heavy equipment was already at the at Mogadishu port, ready for the rehabilitation work.
Other Turkish officials at a site in Wadajir district in south Mogadishu announced that a large compound had been identified to hold different fabrication lines for material to be used for the project.
“The city of Mogadishu will soon experience a change in its buildings and infrastructure,” a Turkish official at the Wadajir site forecast.
In May, the mayor of Mogadishu, Mr Mohamoud Ahmed Nur, met with his counterpart in Istanbul.
The two cities have a twinning arrangement and Mogadishu expects to benefit immensely from this relationship.
While in Istanbul, Mr Nur welcomed Turkish investment and said one of his priorities was the improvement of sanitation.
Red Crescent builds the very first playground in Somali
Turkish Red Crescent, which continues humanitarian aid activities in famine and drought stroke Somalia, built the very first playground in country’s capital Mogadishu.
Built in one of the tent cities, the playground will serve to sixteen thousand residents. It’s the first playground since the civil war started in 1992. Turkish Red Crescent will build three more playgrounds in the same tent city.
Officially launching the playground, Ahmet Lütfi Akar, President of Turkish Red Crescent “These kinds of projects provide psychosocial support for residents. Thus, children can avoid the daily syndromes. This constitutes the part of our psychosocial programs. We are going to continue to build these kind of playgrounds and try to meet the needs of the people.” told reporters.
shame 
again Airport, Port hospitals schools, are all Turkish investment, airport and port they get 50% of profit revenue the other 50% goes to Somali government, they already making profit of what they invest and in 2 years time their investment will Triple Up and in ten years they will hand over as per agreementwaraabe251 wrote:What utter nonsense, will you tell us food aid is also ininvestment, hospital building is investment.libaaxyare wrote:you cannot compare business investment partnership and aid
Mogadishu is build by Turkish company as an investment business partnership with Somalia Government %50 of profit goes to the Turkish company next to years.
Berera is build by Kuwait as part of subsaharan aid that is why it looks the way its becouse its a aid money. also they will building water for hargeysa as subsaharan aid.
Atleast this was built by somali workers, somali company, controlled by the government rather then turkish company
