ANKARA – Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan held a high-level meeting in Ankara with Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, Somalia’s Minister of Ports and Marine Transport and former Minister of Defense.

The meeting comes amid ongoing claims that Nur was removed from his post as Defense Minister earlier this year due to pressure from the United States over his close relationship with Türkiye.

According to a report by Middle East Eye, U.S. officials were increasingly uncomfortable with Nur’s strong defense ties to Ankara, particularly in light of Türkiye’s growing military and diplomatic presence in Somalia. Sources cited in the report claimed Washington pushed the Somali federal government to sideline Nur in what observers say is part of a broader geopolitical contest for influence in the Horn of Africa.

Despite the change in position, Nur remains a key figure in Somalia’s cabinet and continues to play a central role in bilateral cooperation with Türkiye. His meeting with Minister Fidan signals that strategic relations between the two countries remain strong, particularly in maritime infrastructure, defense, and regional security.

Türkiye has been a longstanding ally of Somalia, investing heavily in military training, humanitarian aid, and infrastructure development since 2011. Analysts view the Nur-Fidan meeting as a message of continuity in Somalia–Türkiye ties, despite external pressures.

Neither the Somali government nor U.S. officials have publicly commented on the reported pressure campaign.