Somalia Receives Credentials of New Turkish Ambassador Ferhat Alkan

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hassan Mohamed Ali (Nadara), received the credentials of Ferhat Alkan, Türkiye’s new Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia, during a ceremony in Mogadishu on Thursday.

The meeting focused on strengthening the relationship and cooperation between Somalia and Türkiye, with both sides describing the ties between the two countries as close and rooted in religion, history and longstanding cooperation. The Deputy Minister welcomed the new Ambassador and emphasised the importance of further strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation across various sectors.

Somalia and Türkiye also reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in security, trade, development and education to serve the interests of both peoples.

Ambassador-Designate Ferhat Alkan is now beginning the diplomatic process that will lead to his formal accreditation as Türkiye’s representative to Somalia. The presentation of credentials to the Deputy Foreign Minister is an important step that precedes the formal submission of credentials to the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

A Veteran Diplomat with Deep Experience

Ferhat Alkan is a career diplomat with more than two decades of experience in Türkiye’s foreign service. His appointment was announced in June 2026 as part of a broader Turkish diplomatic reshuffle that reassigned nearly 30 envoys across Africa and other regions.

Alkan previously served as Türkiye’s Ambassador to Mozambique since January 2025. His diplomatic career includes postings at Turkish embassies in Washington, Beijing and Kabul, as well as service as Consul General in Houston. Within Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has held senior positions including Head of the Libya Desk, Special Adviser to the Deputy Foreign Minister, and Protocol Director at the presidential level. Between 2011 and 2014, he served as Head of Protocol for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a role that placed him among the senior officials managing the president’s diplomatic engagements.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara and a master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

Türkiye’s Expanding Partnership with Somalia

Alkan’s arrival in Mogadishu comes during a period that marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Somalia and Türkiye, as well as the 15th anniversary of President Erdoğan’s historic visit to Somalia in 2011, as reported in FTL Somalia’s coverage of the anniversary.

The two countries established diplomatic relations on February 9, 1966, with Türkiye opening its embassy in Mogadishu in 1979. The embassy suspended operations in 1991 due to the civil war before reopening on November 1, 2011, marking a new era of sustained diplomatic engagement.

Türkiye has become one of Somalia’s most significant international partners, with cooperation spanning humanitarian assistance, infrastructure, health, education, security and development, as well as defence, energy and the blue economy. Türkiye maintains its largest overseas military training base, TURKSOM, in Mogadishu, where it has trained thousands of Somali soldiers since 2017. In February 2024, the two countries signed a defence and economic cooperation framework agreement, described by Somali officials as an “irreversible strategic partnership.”

Alkan succeeds Alper Aktaş, who concluded his tenure in Somalia in September 2026. Somali officials, including Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, publicly praised Aktaş’s service and his role in strengthening bilateral ties during his two-and-a-half-year tenure.

Critical Note

Ambassador Alkan’s credential ceremony is a routine diplomatic step, but it carries symbolic weight during a period of significant activity in Somalia-Türkiye relations. Türkiye has expanded its footprint across multiple sectors in recent years, from military training and defence cooperation to energy exploration and space infrastructure. The relationship has evolved from emergency humanitarian assistance into a deep institutional partnership.

The challenge for Ambassador Alkan will be to manage a relationship that is expanding rapidly while navigating sensitivities on both sides. Türkiye’s growing role in Somali security and maritime affairs, including the 2024 defence agreement that grants Ankara oversight of maritime security operations and a share of EEZ revenues, has raised questions about sovereignty and dependency. Domestic opposition in Somalia to foreign military involvement, including protests in Puntland, Jubaland and South West State over alleged Turkish airstrikes, has added a layer of political sensitivity to Ankara’s presence.

For Türkiye, Somalia represents a strategic partner in the Horn of Africa and a gateway to the Red Sea region. For Somalia, Türkiye remains one of the few international partners willing to invest deeply in security and state-building. The partnership’s durability will depend on whether Somali institutions can internalise the capacity they have gained and translate external support into autonomous capability, rather than perpetuating reliance on a single external partner.