CHP Chief Kılıçdaroğlu Visits Somalia as Turkey Plans Permanent Residence

Main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu visited a Somali refugee camp in Kenya on Wednesday to hand out humanitarian supplies.

Kılıçdaroğlu met with camp officials who received aid that was donated by the CHP and prepared and conveyed by the Turkish Red Crescent, and talked to Somali refugees living in the camp.

The delegation is also due to meet with U.N. officials and Somali community leaders, Loğoğlu told the Anatolia news agency Monday. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan traveled to the Somali capital city of Mogadishu and several refugee camps in the country earlier this month.

Turkey has thus far sent eight planes and three ships carrying humanitarian-relief supplies to the famine-stricken East African nation. Turkish people have collected a total of 393 million Turkish Liras in donations for Somalia since the aid campaign started Aug. 1, the Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster & Emergency Management Directorate said Monday.

Turkey is set on maintaining a permanent presence in Somalia rather than a temporary one, according to Ankara’s new ambassador to Mogadishu, Anatolia news agency raported Monday. “We need to carry assistance to a different level. Distributing ready food items is not the solution. We need to help Somalia become productive,” envoy Kani Torun said. “We will do all we can in order to end the civil war in the region.” Turkey does not presently have an embassy building in Mogadishu but Somali authorities have provided 10 hectares of land for the embassy.

August 30, 2011
SOURCE: HURRIYET DAILY NEWS