Ankara (Sunatimes) Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan tells the ongoing tragedy in Somalia in an article he wrote for
Foreign Policy, one of the leading magazines of the U.S.
"Somalia is suffering from the most severe
drought and famine in the last 60 years, which has already resulted in the
deaths of tens of thousands of people and endangers the lives of 750,000 more
Somalis," begins Erdogan in his article titled "Tears of
Somalia".
He continues on writing: "This crisis
tests the notion of civilization and our modern values. It reveals, once again,
that it is a basic human obligation to pursue international cooperation and
solidarity to provide solace for those suffering from natural and man-made
disasters."
"It is not realistic to consider Somalia's
plight as caused solely by a severe natural disaster. We cannot ignore the fact
that, in addition to the drought, the international community's decision to
leave Somalia to its own fate is also an underlying factor causing this drama.
Twenty years of political and social instability,
lawlessness, and chaos have added enormously to the problems in Somalia. The
horrifying truck bombing of the Transitional Federal Government's ministerial
complex on October 4 is just the latest evidence of this. The international
community must not respond to this act of terrorism by retreating from Somalia,
but by redoubling its efforts to bring aid to its people."
"Nobody with common sense and conscience
can remain indifferent to such a drama, wherever on earth it may be and
whichever people have to bear it. Our urgent intervention as responsible
members of the international community can contribute to the alleviation of the
Somali people's distress. However, the establishment of lasting peace and
stability will only be possible through long-term, far-reaching, and
coordinated efforts."
"Turkey mobilized last month to help end
this suffering. We consider this solidarity a humanitarian obligation toward
the people of Somalia, with whom we have deep historical relations. Many of our
institutions, NGOs, and people of all ages have made an extraordinary effort to
alleviate the suffering of women and children in Somalia.
We are proud of the sensitivity and cooperation
displayed by the Turkish people during the holy month of Ramadan. In the last
month alone, approximately 280 million USD worth of donations for Somalia were
collected in Turkey. The Turkish people's generosity has served as an example
to other donor countries as well as the international community, offering hope
for the resolution of the crisis in Somalia."
"The Turkish government has also moved
decisively to help alleviate this humanitarian crisis. Turkey took the
initiative to hold an emergency meeting of the executive committee of the
Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the ministerial level on
August 17. At this meeting, which was attended by the president of Somalia and
high-level representatives from 40 member countries of the OIC, 350 million USD
was committed to help relieve the famine in Somalia, and the participants
agreed to increase this amount to half a billion dollars. The Turkish Red
Crescent is also standing shoulder to shoulder with international aid
organizations and is working to meet the needs of those in all the camps in the
Mogadishu region."
"Following the emergency meeting of the
OIC executive committee, I -- along with a number of Turkish ministers, some
members of parliament, bureaucrats, business people, artists, and families --
visited the country on August 19 to tell the people of Somalia that they are
not alone. We visited the camps. We tried to give hope and encourage people who
live in very different conditions from ours. We took note of the lack of such a
high-level visit from outside of Africa to Somalia for the last 20 years, and
informed the international community of this fact."
"Turkey has decided to launch a major
humanitarian effort to help restore normalcy to Mogadishu. To this end, we are
preparing to provide assistance in the fields of health, education, and
transportation. We will inaugurate a 400-bed hospital, provide garbage trucks
for the streets of Mogadishu, build a waste-disposal facility to burn the
accumulated garbage in the streets, pave the road between Mogadishu's airport
and the city center, renovate the parliament and other government buildings,
dig water wells, and develop organized agricultural and livestock areas. Our
embassy, which will be opened in Mogadishu shortly and headed by an ambassador
who is experienced in the field of humanitarian aid and familiar to the region,
will coordinate these activities."
"By supporting the restoration of peace
and stability efforts, we will work with the Transitional Federal Government
and other institutions in Somalia in order to launch the development process of
this shattered country. To this end, we expect all Somali authorities to
demonstrate an extraordinary effort in unity, integrity, and harmony."
"The success of aid operations is directly
linked to the establishment of security. The withdrawal from Mogadishu of armed
elements in the al-Shabab organization is clearly a positive development for
security in the region. But this is not sufficient. Moving the Somali-related
U.N. offices currently located in Nairobi to Mogadishu will be a positive step
to support this process and one that should be taken without delay."
"Neighboring countries such as Ethiopia
and Kenya bear a special responsibility regarding the restoration of peace and
stability in Somalia. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the
African Union will also share this responsibility, and Turkey supports them in
their tasks. In line with the Djibouti peace process, Somalia's Transitional
Federal Government should intensify efforts at reconciliation by maintaining
dialogue with all fighting groups and pledge prosperity, brotherhood, order,
and prosperity in return for peace."
"The military contribution provided by
Uganda and Burundi within the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to
prevent chaos and terror deserves appreciation. With this opportunity, I would
like to issue a call to all neighboring countries, including Eritrea, to
increase their existing efforts for the establishment of peace and security in
Somalia and to enhance long-term regional stability."
"In Turkish culture, it is believed that
something good will come out of all bad experiences. In Somalia, too, this
disaster can mark the beginning of a new process by focusing international
humanitarian efforts and global attention on the plight of the region. However,
this situation will only be sustainable if we continue to be sensitive to the
needs of the Somali people."
"The tears that are now running from
Somalia's golden sands into the Indian Ocean must stop. They should be replaced
by hopeful voices of a country where people do not lose their lives because of
starvation and where they express their eagerness to develop and restore peace
and stability. Regardless of which culture we come from or where we live, I am
confident that our common heritage as human beings will motivate us to ease the
suffering of Somalia."
By Recep Tayyip Erdogan
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Turkey's Erdogan writes article on Somalia in US magazine
We are proud of the sensitivity and cooperation displayed by the Turkish people