The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Government of Somalia Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud gave an in-depth interview to the SNTV, state media, on elections, regional issues, the Somali-Kenyan conflict, deteriorating relations between Somalia and Djibouti and other issues.
Elections:
First of all, the Minister of Elections said that everything that has happened has now been forgiven and a reliable agreement has been reached, citing the forgiveness requested by the Chairman of the Union of Candidates, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and President Farmajo.
Speaking about the cost of the country’s elections, he said it would be divided into three phases, one provided by the government, one by the candidates and one by the international community.
Relations between Somalia and Djibouti:
Minister Mohamed Abdirizak, when asked about the ambiguity in the relationship between Somalia and Djibouti, said Djibouti is important for Somalia, but there are concerns from both sides.
“Djibouti is a brotherly country, a neighbor and a Somali. We do not want occasional angry exchanges between governments to affect the brotherly people of the two countries. Djibouti has published a report about the fact-finding mission, much to the displeasure of the Somali government. And we have given the appropriate response. However, we have very good relations with Djibouti. In fact, the Prime Minister attended the inauguration of the President of Djibouti. It is normal to have some disagreement, and we have taken the right action to address the situation, ”said the Somali foreign minister.
Relations between Somalia and Kenya:
The Minister was asked about the role of the Government of Qatar in restoring relations between the two countries and there are reports that Qatar is creating an opportunity for Somalia and Kenya to share resources in the disputed sea. He said Somalia was only waiting for the ICJ’s decision, and there’s currently no negotiation on the maritime issue, acknowledging however that Qatar was making efforts in that direction.
“A Qatari envoy sent by the Emir of Qatar came to Somalia. He was working to restore relations between the two countries. He also visited Kenya. Both Somalia and Kenya have responded and agreed to restore relations,” he said.
He also added efforts were under way to resolve the ongoing dispute between the two countries, “I can confirm that those efforts are ongoing and have begun earlier.”
Somalia’s position on the Nile issue:
When the Somali Foreign Minister was asked about the Horn of Africa affairs and Somalia’s role in Somalia. He said that our country, which played a key role in the establishment of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), is now playing an active role in the cooperation of the member states.
