Somaliland’s new president, Abdirahi Mohamed Abdullahi, favors the continued development of close ties to Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday.
While the two countries did not maintain official diplomatic relations, they opened representative offices in each other’s capital in 2020. Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu attended the presidential inauguration Thursday as Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s special envoy.
Since both sides faced regional challenges including pressure from China, the new government would maintain close and mutually beneficial relations, Abdellahi said. He expressed the hope that more Taiwanese businesses would invest in the East African country, per CNA.
During his meeting with Wu, Abdellahi described Taiwan as a key partner. He emphasized their collaboration in fields including telecom, education, and public health, adding the projects had helped raise the living standards of the people of Somaliland.
Wu also met with outgoing President Muse Bihi Abdi and discussed the priorities of the new administration with senior government members, MOFA said.
During the inauguration of President Irro, the Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister led a delegation on behalf of the Taiwan government to Somaliland. Wu congratulated President Abdullahi, highlighting the friendly relations between the two countries, and emphasized that Taiwan will work hand in hand with the new government to continue improving both peoples’ well-being.
In addition to attending celebrations, the Foreign Ministry stated that Wu met with special envoys from various countries, senior officials of the new government, and outgoing President Muse Bihi Abdi. Representing President Lai Ching-te and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, Wu expressed their appreciation of Abdi for his concrete contributions to Taiwan-Somaliland relations during his tenure.
The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on cooperation and the priority policy plans of the new Somaliland government. Abdullahi said that the Somaliland-Taiwan partnership has made significant progress in the fields of public health, education, information and communications, and maritime patrol. He emphasized that the new administration will continue to maintain a close and mutually beneficial relationship with Taiwan and that he looks forward to attracting more Taiwanese companies to Somaliland in the future.
