On Wednesday, Somalia’s cabinet and lawmakers approved a defense agreement with Turkey amid ongoing tensions with Ethiopia over a maritime deal that Somalia contends undermines its sovereignty.

The 10-year pact will see Turkey assist Somalia in securing its extensive coastline and rebuilding its naval forces, as announced by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud following a joint parliamentary session.

“This agreement is solely about collaboration between Somalia and Turkey in maritime defense and economic matters; it is not intended to foster animosity with any other country or government,” he stated.

Tensions escalated in January when Ethiopia signed a maritime agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland, granting the landlocked country access to the sea, which angered Somalia.

“Somalia’s position is clear: the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our nation are non-negotiable, which has led to this historic agreement today,” Deputy Defense Minister Abdifatah Kassim told AFP. “Turkey is the best choice to safeguard Somalia’s coasts.”

As a NATO member, Turkey maintains strong ties with Somalia and is its primary economic partner in sectors such as construction, education, and health, in addition to military collaboration. Somalia hosts Turkey’s largest overseas military base and training facility, which has trained over 5,000 Somali security personnel, according to Turkish media.

Turkey is among several nations preparing Somali forces to take over from the African Union peacekeeping mission, known as ATMIS, which is set to withdraw by the end of the year.

Somalia has faced decades of civil conflict and a brutal insurgency from the Al-Qaeda-linked group Al-Shabaab, which continues to carry out attacks against both security forces and civilians despite ongoing military operations initiated in August 2022, supported by US airstrikes and AU troops.