.jpg) |
| Turkish Foreign Ministry |
The Turkish Foreign Ministry denied Sunday that it had
cut off aid to Somalia over allegations of graft in the east African
country.
"We are working on the donation plan to Somalia
for the year 2014 within the scope of our comprehensive support to the
Somali government," the ministry said in a statement.
A report published Sunday quoted an unnamed Turkish
foreign ministry official as saying the support payments to Somalia had stopped
at the end of 2013. Turkey's aid has been a significant source of funding for
the Somali government, which is trying to rebuild the country after more than
two decades of war and lawlessness.
The report also quoted an unnamed Somali government
official as confirming that Turkish aid had been cut off.
The Foreign Ministry statement said that Turkey
sent cash to Somalia between June and December of 2013 following a
request from the Somali president for help with his country's budget
deficit. The money was delivered in cash because the Somali banking system was
not working, the statement said.
The ministry said that the visit to Somalia in 2011
by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan marked a turning
point in Somali history, because Turkish people, companies and
foundations have donated billions of Turkish Liras for health care,
education, infrastructure and other humanitarian projects for the
country.
The statement said that Turkey and its people would
continue to stand with the Somali people.
Source: World Bulletin/News Desk
No comments:
Post a Comment