Türkiye signed an oil and natural gas cooperation deal with Somalia on Thursday, a top official said, further strengthening bilateral ties after agreeing on a defense deal last month.

The Energy Ministry said the energy deal includes exploration, evaluation, development and production of oil in Somalia's land and sea blocks.

"With this agreement, we will carry out joint activities to bring the resources of Somalia to the Somali people. We aim to strengthen Türkiye's presence in the Horn of Africa with new collaborations in the field of energy," Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The deal includes transportation, distribution, refining, sales and services operations of oil and other products from land and sea projects.

In February, Türkiye signed a defense and economic cooperation agreement with Somalia and will provide maritime security support to help the African country defend its territorial waters.

Türkiye, a close ally of the Horn of Africa nation, has invested in its education, infrastructure and health, and given it extensive humanitarian aid.

Türkiye has its largest embassy in Africa in the Somali capital Mogadishu and also built its largest overseas military facility there to train the Somali national army.