Post #420

🇹🇷Invincible Armada, but Without Guns ⛴ Against the backdrop of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, Turkeyhas decided not to drag its feet and to stake its claim in Somali gas as early as next month. Turkish vessels are to arrive to explore deepwater deposits off Somalia in February. 📈 While since 2024 Istanbul’s interest in Somalia’s seabed had been primarily economic, the Turkish presence is now taking on a political hue. Recently, one of the Somali splinters — Somaliland — received recognition from Israel seeking to establish presence in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and contain the Houthis. ▶️ In response, on December 30 President Erdoğan strongly condemned Israel, and explicitly promised to expand Turkey’s fleet of gas drilling vessels in Somalia by two new ships. Drilling and producing Somali gas thus becomes a tool for entrenching influence in the region. ▶️Somaliland itself, now recognized by Israel, has already announced plans to start its own gas production by 2027, but it still lacks a friend comparable to Turkey. Whether Israel will help it, or whether a bigger fish will appear, remains to be seen. ➡️ Follow to stay informed - @devilsbelow