The Turkish authorities imposed on nationals of 10 countries to obtain an electronic visa to transit airports during their destination to Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela from Istanbul International Airport.

Turkey is considered a transit country to final destinations, and is among the most active countries in combating irregular migration, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

The Turkish authorities intensified inspections within the framework of international aviation rules due to the increase in the number of migrants heading to North America via Central and Latin American countries, taking advantage of air transportation offers via Istanbul, according to the same sources.

Last March, Turkish Airlines warned travelers to Latin American countries that “some additional controls may be applied in addition to the general rules.”

In this context, Turkish diplomatic sources reported that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has completed the necessary preparations to launch the electronic airport transit (transit) visa.

The transit visa was included in Chapter 24 of Justice, Freedom and Security in the negotiations to join the European Union, and it constitutes one of the criteria within the scope of the negotiations to liberalize entry visas for Turks to the European Union countries.

The sources confirmed that Turkey imposed on citizens of India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Chad, Somalia, Cameroon, Mauritania and Yemen heading to Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela via Istanbul Airport the requirement to obtain a transit visa, as of April 15.

The electronic transit visa can be obtained free of charge online from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ “evisa.gov.tr” portal starting April 15, 2024.

Travelers must enter their personal information, residence address information and ticket numbers correctly when obtaining the e-visa.

Transit passengers at Istanbul Airport must also carry a printed copy of their transit visas.

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Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre stressed on Wednesday that Turkey stands by the government and people of his country in the most difficult times.

This came during his meeting with the new Turkish Ambassador to Mogadishu, Alper Aktash, according to the official Somali News Agency.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields.

Barre congratulated the Turkish ambassador on his appointment to his position.

He pointed out that Turkey is a sister country that stood by the government and people of Somalia in difficult times and provided the necessary support to rebuild the state.

In turn, Ambassador Aktash pledged to work to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that he had previously fasted during his previous visits to refugee camps to show his solidarity with Muslims.

“Fasting showed me the true face of Islam,” the Secretary-General added, in a statement he made to the “United Nations News” website.

Guterres said that he will visit Somalia during the current month of Ramadan to express his solidarity with the Somali people, as part of his usual visits to Islamic countries during Ramadan every year.

He added that the Somalis have been suffering for many years from instability, drought and drought.

He continued, “The aim of my visits to Islamic countries during the month of Ramadan is to draw the world’s attention to the tragedies of Muslim societies in these countries.”

And he added, “Everyone should unite for peace in these days when the holy days of Muslims, Christians and Jews are celebrated together.”

He pointed out that the United Nations Charter issued in 1951 for the protection of refugees is fully consistent with the spiritual values found in the Bible and the Holy Quran.

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Haq Association for Turkish Humanitarian Aid has provided food support to the Somali people who are suffering from starvation and poverty.

In a statement on Tuesday, the association stated that its teams provided food aid to 50,000 people living in 10 camps in 5 regions inside Somalia.

The statement added that the association also provided medical aid to children receiving treatment in hospitals.

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On vast areas inside the campus of the Somali “Zamzam University”, greenhouses (plastic) are spread in order to diversify the agricultural crops in the country.

With Turkish support, the university developed the country’s agricultural wealth by conducting research on local crops in order to improve them, as well as importing seeds and seedlings of non-traditional crops from the Turkish state of Antalya in order to adapt them to the hot geographical climate in the African country.

The story of the strawberry project in Somalia tells of the success of agricultural experiments on crops brought from Turkey and that began to bear fruit after providing the climatic factors that help their germination.

As part of the university’s project to diversify agricultural crops in the country, the Faculty of Agriculture brought the strawberry crop from Antalya, southern Turkey, after conducting scientific experiments on the ability of this fruit to adapt to the hot climate that characterizes Somalia.

The university has planted about 2,500 strawberry seedlings from two different climatic regions as a preliminary experiment to produce this plant in suitable weather conditions.

The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Zamzam University Yahya Abdullah Issa said that the strawberry cultivation project is very different from other crops that were previously cultivated. The prevailing climate in Somalia is semi-arid and does not contribute to the production of this plant unless a special climatic atmosphere is provided.

Issa added that the first experiment of the strawberry project failed as a result of it being affected by the environmental factors surrounding the greenhouses, such as temperature, soil and wind.

He continued, “But the Faculty of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), continued to conduct other experiments on the strawberry project to produce this plant and expand its spread throughout the country.”

A new successful experiment for strawberry production was carried out by an agricultural team at the university after the failure of the first experiment. The team was able to provide suitable weather and soil for exotic fruits in the country, so the strawberry began two weeks after planting it, announcing that it would turn into fruits soon.

Othman Abdul Rashid, Protected Agriculture Officer at Zamzam University, said that technical and climatic factors contributed to the success of this experiment, which is currently in the flowering stage.

Osman added: “We challenged the climate to make the experiment a success. During the day, strawberries need a temperature of no more than 25 degrees Celsius, while at night they need between 15-18 degrees Celsius, at a time when temperatures in Somalia at night reach more than 23 degrees Celsius.”

He continued, “The strawberry crop requires extreme routine care by providing fertilizers, some of which do not exist in the Somali soil, in addition to periodic irrigation and spraying with pesticides to protect the plant from diseases and insects.”

And he added, “The greenhouse in which the strawberry experiment took place contains 600 seedlings, with a distance of about 30 cm between one seedling and another.”

Osman explained that some seedlings have already begun to germinate, adding that they expect after about three weeks that all these seedlings will bear fruit, “which means that a great achievement and a unique experience has taken place in Somalia, where it could be the beginning of the spread of strawberries throughout the country.”

The greenhouses at Zamzam University are not only a theater for agricultural experiments, but also a place where students apply what they study theoretically in the classroom.

Muhammad Ahmad Khalif, a student at the Faculty of Agriculture, said: “We come to this agricultural area at least two days a week to apply the theoretical lessons we took from the classes, where we learn about the different types of agricultural crops in the country and those imported from abroad, ways to take care of them, and their natural and chemical needs.”

Khalif added, “We seek to implement what we have studied at the university on the ground after graduating from university and to develop the agricultural sector in the country, which depends on the traditional method.”

The agricultural area of ​​the university contains more than 10 agricultural houses of different sizes, where different types of vegetables are grown, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers.

After the success of the strawberry cultivation experience, the university is preparing for a fierce competition for the local market that imports strawberries from abroad, especially from the neighboring country.

Abdul Rashid said that the university contributes, through its agricultural experiences, to supporting the local market, as it provides hundreds of kilograms of vegetables and fruits in the various markets of the capital, Mogadishu.

He added, “Although strawberries are not popular in Somali circles, one kilo of strawberries is sold at about $4 in the local market, which opens the way for us to compete and meet local needs.”

He continued, “The strawberry fruits are included in several types of foods and are used in cosmetics to refresh the skin. They also have medicinal benefits for treating many heart diseases and blood pressure.”

For his part, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Yahya Abdullah said that the university farm works weekly to provide about 3,000 kg of vegetables and potatoes in local markets.

Although Somalia is considered a food basket in the region due to its enjoyment of ten million hectares (a hectare equals about ten thousand square meters) of agricultural land, according to the statistics of international organizations, only one percent of it is utilized.

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On Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the terrorist attacks that took place in the central Somali city of Beledweyne.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its deep sadness at the loss of many lives, including local officials and civilians, and the injury of others in the terrorist attacks that took place today in the city of Baldwin.

“We condemn in the strongest terms these heinous terrorist attacks, and we pray for mercy for those who lost their lives. We offer condolences to the relatives of the victims, the government and the friendly and brotherly Somali people, and we wish a speedy recovery to the wounded,” she said.

It should be noted that 12 people were killed in an initial toll as a result of 3 suicide car-bomb attacks that took place earlier Monday in Somalia.

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The Turkish Foreign Ministry offered its condolences to the government and people of Somalia for the victims of the terrorist attack that took place in the capital, Mogadishu.

The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it had received with great sadness the news of the killing and wounding of a number of people in an attack on a military training center west of the capital, Mogadishu.

The statement added: “We condemn in the strongest terms this heinous terrorist attack, and have mercy on the lives of the victims, and we wish a speedy recovery for the injured, and we offer our condolences to their families and the entire government and people of Somalia.”

The statement affirmed that Turkey will continue to stand with all its capabilities on the side of Somalia in its struggle against terrorism.

And earlier today, Somali media said that at least 15 people were killed in a suicide bombing at the entrance to a military training center west of the capital, Mogadishu, and was claimed by the “Al-Shabab” movement.

For years, Somalia has been waging a war against the “Al-Shabab” movement, which was founded in early 2004, and it is an armed movement ideologically affiliated with “Al-Qaeda” and has adopted numerous terrorist operations that have claimed hundreds of lives.

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The Turkish project began in 2012 with the opening of the “Agricultural School in Somalia” to transform after years into the “Anadolu Agricultural College” until today it has become a center for agricultural training and education under the name of Zamzam Endowment University.

So far, about 2,000 students have graduated from the university located in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and many of them have succeeded in continuing their agricultural careers and have managed a large number of greenhouses.

At a time when there were no greenhouses in Somalia when the agricultural school opened in 2012, the country now houses about 200 smart farming homes.

Zamzam University contributes greatly to the development of the plant wealth in Somalia by producing vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum and eggplant of different varieties, the seeds of which are brought from Antalya, southern Turkey.

Research is being carried out at the university to identify the most suitable plant varieties for Somali geography with the aim of focusing on the production of these varieties and expanding their distribution in the country.

In this context, the university inaugurated the Seed Research Institute, which aims to identify seeds that are suitable for the local soil in order to expand their spread.

Zamzam University allows its students to learn about different and new agricultural machines, in addition to training them on the most suitable irrigation techniques for their lands.

In addition to agricultural development, the university provides educational courses in poultry farming and ovulation, using the advanced technologies used in Turkey.

Osman Abdul Rashid Hussein, a graduate of the Agricultural School in Somalia, said that he completed his postgraduate studies in Turkey to be appointed later as a researcher at Zamzam University and that he was one of the first students to graduate from the Turkish-Somali project.

He explained: “When the agricultural school project was launched in Somalia, there were no greenhouses throughout the country, so the project contributed to securing its spread after the Somalis saw them for the first time in the agricultural school in Mogadishu.”

He added, “Through the greenhouses, we identify the appropriate varieties for production and do our best to benefit farmers and students together from the university’s projects.”

Hussein indicated that 2,240 students have graduated so far from Zamzam University, pointing out that these students completed their education through the scholarships offered to them.

In turn, Hassan Mahmoud Hassan, head of the Directorate of Poultry Care at Zamzam University, said that they started producing chicken eggs with 1,200 chickens they brought from Ankara.

He added that they are currently getting about 800 eggs per day from the poultry that were brought in previously.

He continued, “The poultry production project has turned into a production technique training project.”

Hassan added: “We aim by increasing production and training to get rid of dependency on the outside in this field.”

Recently, official and UN warnings of the situation in Somalia reaching the stage of “famine” have increased due to the absence of an effective response to aid, along with fears of the failure of the upcoming rainy season, which makes the country and the entire region vulnerable to the worst drought season in 70 years.

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Turkish Ambassador to Somalia Mehmet Yilmaz said that they expect Ankara-Mogadishu relations to gain momentum after the recent presidential elections in the African country.

Yilmaz stressed that the efforts made by Turkey after the drought that struck Somalia in 2011 contributed to changing the image of the African country for the better.

He added that Turkish-Somali cooperation has begun to bear fruit, especially in the areas of security, health, education and defense.

He stated that the volume of trade exchange between Turkey and Somalia exceeded $300 million, pointing to the increasing Turkish private sector investments in Somalia.

The Turkish ambassador said that the recent electoral process in Somalia was successfully completed and all the concerns related to it were removed.

He stated that he assured Somali President-elect Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud of Turkey’s continued support for the African country.

He explained that Sheikh Mahmoud assured him during the meeting that followed the election day that the gates of Somalia are wide open to Turkey.

Yilmaz described Turkey’s relations with Somalia as “at a very good level.”

He continued, “We had good relations with all the presidents of Somalia, and we expect the relations to gain momentum after the recent elections and the victory of the new president.”

According to Yilmaz, the visit of Turkish Prime Minister – at the time – Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Somalia in 2011 marked a strong start for contemporary relations between Ankara and Mogadishu, especially since it coincided with the height of the drought in the African country.

He added that many diplomatic missions and civil society organizations began thinking about returning after the mentioned visit to Erdogan, as well as their contribution to encouraging Somalis themselves to return to their country and homes that they left due to the dangers of drought.

In this context, Yilmaz stressed that it is not possible for a country to continue to stand on its own feet by relying on aid, indicating that Turkey is currently working to establish Somali capabilities in many areas, most notably education, health and security.

In this context, the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Mogadishu has graduated dozens of doctors, workers and experts in the health sector.

On the other hand, the joint Turkish-Somali military base in Mogadishu has so far graduated 5,000 soldiers and 1,000 special operations personnel.

Later, Somali soldiers who graduated from the joint military base in Mogadishu continued their training in Turkey, according to Yilmaz.

On the educational level, the Turkish ambassador said that the Education Endowment of the Ministry of Education in his country played an important role in the upbringing of Somali students, through schools and scholarship programs allocated to Somali students.

Turkish government institutions such as the Red Crescent Society and the Presidency of Disaster and Emergency Management “AFAD” continue to provide humanitarian aid to Somalis in areas still suffering from drought, according to Yilmaz.

The volume of trade exchange between Turkey and Somalia recently exceeded $300 million, while opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries are increasing day after day in various fields.

In this context, Yilmaz said that the private sector in Turkey attaches great importance to investment in Somalia, pointing to the supervision of Turkish companies in operating many important facilities in Mogadishu, such as the airport and the port.

Ambassador Yilmaz believes that Turkey’s efforts are continuing to play the role of mediator between Somalia and Somaliland, which unilaterally declared its independence from Somalia.

“We want to revive the mediation process between the two sides,” he added.

In 1991, “Somaliland”, located in the Horn of Africa, declared its secession from Somalia, which gained independence from Britain in 1960.

However, over the past years, “Somaliland” has not been officially recognized as a state.

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