Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Friday that he was pleased to see Turkey's assistance to his country.***
MOGADISHU - Sarp Ozer
In an exclusive interview with the AA, Ahmed said that "the Turkish people stood by us. With Turkey's support, we believe that we can overcome difficulties. The people of Somalia will never forget this historic assistance of Turkey".
Many things have changed in Somalia after we received assistance from Turkey. Many things have changed for the better, primarily the psychology of the Somali people. Turkey's assistance encouraged the international community to extend support to Somalia, Ahmed said.
Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Somalia has helped Somali people have hopes for the future. Erdogan's visit proved the historic ties between our two countries, Ahmed said.
Erdogan's visit to Somalia was not made up of just words. It included steps and action, Ahmed said.
Turkey's assistance and those of the international community following Turkey's steps have led to a decrease in the number of Somalis who die due to famine. However, there is still a lot that we must do for Somalia, Ahmed underlined.
We are making great efforts so that assistance materials could be sent to all corners of Somalia. Muslim countries did what they could do in assisting Somalia, Ahmed said.
Mr. Erdogan is a creative, well informed, good and humanistic leader. The Turkish people stood by us. We believe we can overcome difficulties by Turkey's support to us. The people of Somalia will never forget Turkey's historic assistance, Ahmed also said.