Hargeisa, Somaliland
Press Statement
The Government of the Republic of Somaliland notes with regret and alarm the undiplomatic actions taken by the Somalia Government in officially intervening in bilateral relations between the Governments of Somaliland and Kenya, as it publically declared in a statement on 1stJuly. As a sovereign nation, Somaliland’s right to engage in peaceful and friendly foreign relations with all other nations is enshrined in international law, and all coercive or threatening measures to deny such collaboration between regional partners not only represent affronts to the principles, protocols and norms on which the international order is based, but does little to promote the peace and security that the region requires.
As Somaliland’s three decades of good governance, peace, stability and brotherhood towards its neighbours as an independent state has proven, the path to a more prosperous Horn of Africa is through dialogue and cooperation, not through the pursuit of a foreign policy approach that infringes upon the affairs of other countries and sows the seeds of division.
The Governments of Somaliland and Kenya, as well as many other partners among the international community, have sacrificed a great deal to help the people of Somalia, as our neighbours, take strides in rebuilding their country, in order to achieve the safety and order that all human beings deserve. It is therefore an affront to our demonstrated goodwill that the Government of Somalia would seek to use its newfound diplomatic platform to play the role of spoiler and agitator, rather than joining alongside those nations in the Horn of Africa that have long dedicated their efforts to putting the days of regional conflict and division behind us.
The Somaliland Government thus implores its neighbour Somalia to focus its attention inward, towards meeting the many security, humanitarian and developmental challenges which the international community has invested so much, rather than involving itself in the affairs of other sovereign nations, including Kenya and Somaliland.
