Turkish minister call on Islamic community to extend help to Somalia

The Islamic community should extend a helping hand to ease agonies of the Somali people and restore unity, solidarity and harmony to the country, Turkey's Minister of Development Cevdet Yilmaz said Thursday. The world could not ignore poverty in Somalia, the minister was quoted by Turkish Anatolia news agency as saying, adding that the Islamic community should maintain solidarity and cooperation to help countries like Somalia that were facing problems due to natural disasters. Yilmaz made the remarks during the 27th session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul. Turkey has so far sent 11 planes and eight ships of humanitarian relief supplies to famine-stricken Somalia, which is currently facing with one of the worst droughts in 60 years.