Abstract:

In 2011, the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia was experienced the worst famine in history which caused the death and displacement of hundreds thousand people. The UNITED NATION declared that there is severe hunger crisis in Somalia and it was the biggest hunger disaster for the past 60 years. By answering this tragedy, Erdoğan was the first non-African leader who visited Somalia in 2011, the objective of the prime-ministerial visiting was to support Somalia for the horror of starvation and to spot on light the attention of the world to focus on the tragedy happening in the Somalia. Instantly, Turkey started it’s engagement in Somalia as part of it’s active opening up foreign policy in Africa. The first part of the study attempts to understand Turkish foreign policy in Africa, particularly Somalia because Turkey’s policy in Somalia is intertwined with Turkish general policy on Africa. From this part, the study analyses and answers this question: Why Somalia is a center for Turkey’s foreign Policy towards Africa? The second and the last part of the study examines Turkey’s opening up foreign policy in Somalia like humanitarian and developmental policy by inviting different perspective from Somalia and Turkish perspectives.

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