The Somali and Turkish governments have said they will further strengthen cooperation in the areas of reconstruction and infrastructure development, following a meeting in Ankara between the Somali Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, Ayuub Yusuf Ismail, and the Turkish Minister of Transport and Construction, Abdulkadir Uraloglu.
The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Construction, was attended by officials and advisors from both sides, with a focus on expanding cooperation on the reconstruction of Somalia, road construction, urban planning, modern housing and building improvements.
The Turkish Minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said that Ankara will continue to support Somalia, especially in development and infrastructure projects, warmly welcoming the delegation from Mogadishu.
For his part, the Somali Minister of Public Works, Ayuub Yusuf Ismail, noted that Somalia attaches great importance to Turkey’s advanced expertise and technology, especially in the fields of engineering and management of large projects.
He said that the Somali government wants the engineers and staff of the ministry to benefit from the training and knowledge of Turkish experts, in order to accelerate the reconstruction of the country.
After the meeting, Minister Ayuub visited facilities under the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Construction, where he met with the Director of the Turkish Roads Agency, who briefed him on the major projects under the agency’s control.
The minister also inspected roads implemented under the public-private partnership system known as PPP, in which private companies finance the construction of roads, with user fees collected electronically.
The two sides finally agreed to establish a joint technical committee, which will work to develop cooperation between the two ministries and accelerate future cooperation projects.
