During proximity talks hosted by Turkey on Saturday between the leaders of Somalia and the country’s autonomous Somaliland region, the two sides signed the “Ankara communiqué,” voicing their commitment to the continuation of dialogue.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and Somaliland President Ahmed Silanyo came together for the first time in a tripartite meeting held by top Turkish officials at the request of the two parties in Ankara. Somali Minister Abdul Karim H. Guled and Somaliland Foreign Minister Mohamed Omar signed the communiqué on behalf of their governments to restart dialogue between the two sides and decided to have another meeting in İstanbul within 90 days.
The purpose of the meeting was to reopen dialogue after the leadership change in the Somali Federal Republic, and to establish a way forward for dialogue. A new government took office in Somalia after elections held last September.
The Somali and Somaliland leaders agreed on the need to consolidate cooperation on the security sector through sharing intelligence and training as well as sharing scholarships for sector professionals in order to become more effective in the fight against terrorism, extremism, piracy, activities such as illegal fishing, toxic dumping and maritime crime.
World Bulletin
