Somalia

Turkey has announced plans to begin oil exploration in the Aegean Sea within its territorial waters.

The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has been granted nine exploration licenses by Turkey's Ministry of Energy. These licenses, valid for eight years each, cover the Gulf of Xiros and areas near the Dardanelles, following a request made in June 2023.

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has announced that the Abdülhamid Han ship has begun its first drilling operation at the Amasra-4 well in the Black Sea as part of efforts to boost natural gas production.

The Abdülhamid Han ship's drilling activities will last about 30 days, Bayraktar said in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Türk.

Türkiye's daily and monthly natural gas and crude oil production broke new records in October, according to the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.

Domestic crude oil production reached an all-time monthly high of 3.36 million barrels, while the country's natural gas output hit 234.4 million cubic meters, the ministry said in a statement on Nov. 6.

In the midst of the government crisis, the 66-year-old chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, received today (5/11) in Berlin the president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohammed.

Energy  Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has described Türkiye's onshore and offshore natural gas and oil exploration activities in Somalia as a "game changer," saying that international companies may join those operations in the future.

Turkish research vessel Oruç Reis last week arrived in Somalia to conduct seismic surveys for oil and natural gas.

Türkiye is set to begin onshore oil and natural gas exploration in Somalia thanks to a new agreement between Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and Somali Petroleum Authority, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has announced.

Turkish research vessel Oruç Reis has arrived off the coast of Somalia to conduct seismic surveys for oil and natural gas, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on Oct. 25.

"Oruç Reis has reached its mission location after its journey across continents," Bayraktar shared on X.

Turkey's foreign minister will travel to Djibouti next week to attend a Turkey-Africa ministerial meeting and discuss improving cooperation between Ankara and the continent, officials from his ministry said.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has announced that he will pay a visit to Türkiye next week to discuss recent developments in the Middle East, describing the country as "a significant actor in the region."

One man has died and two more are missing after a boat carrying migrants sank off Gavdos, an island south of Crete.

Coast guard officials said the vessel went down 21 nautical miles south of the island.

A drone from the EU's border agency Frontex spotted the semi-submerged vessel and a nearby ship conducted a search and rescue operation.