Turkish president postpones Somalia trip to attend Abdullah funeral
Erdogan is currently on a tour of Africa and was due to travel to Somalia, in which Turkey is a major investor
A picture dated on November 13, 2008 shows at the time Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) speaking to Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz at the Culture of Peace conference at the United Nations in New York. PHOTO: AFP
ISTANBUL:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday postponed a planned trip to Somalia to attend the funeral of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, media reported.
Erdogan is currently on a tour of Africa and was due to travel to Somalia, in which Turkey is a major investor, later on Friday in what was to be a rare visit by a foreign leader to the war-torn nation.
But instead he will go to the Saudi capital after completing an official visit to Ethiopia and will end the day in Djibouti, skipping the Somalian stop, the Anatolia news agency reported citing sources within Erdogan's entourage.
The report did not give a new date for the Somali visit.
On Thursday five people were killed in a suicide attack on a hotel housing the Turkish delegation in Mogadishu, though none of the dead were hurt.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday postponed a planned trip to Somalia to attend the funeral of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, media reported.
Erdogan is currently on a tour of Africa and was due to travel to Somalia, in which Turkey is a major investor, later on Friday in what was to be a rare visit by a foreign leader to the war-torn nation.
But instead he will go to the Saudi capital after completing an official visit to Ethiopia and will end the day in Djibouti, skipping the Somalian stop, the Anatolia news agency reported citing sources within Erdogan's entourage.
The report did not give a new date for the Somali visit.
On Thursday five people were killed in a suicide attack on a hotel housing the Turkish delegation in Mogadishu, though none of the dead were hurt.