Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on the sidelines of the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. During the meeting on Friday, the two leaders discussed ways to enhance security, political, economic, and diplomatic relations between Somalia and Iraq.
Both leaders expressed their commitment to collaborate closely in the fight against international terrorism and to revive previous agreements between their governments. President Mohamud thanked the Iraqi government for forgiving 67% of Somalia’s debt and pledged to increase collaboration between the two nations to enhance economic development.
In addition, President Mohamud commended the Iraqi government’s success in combating terrorism and requested that Somalia be given the opportunity to benefit from their expertise. This is particularly important given Somalia’s ongoing anti-al-Shabaab operations, which have been making significant progress since August 2022.
The first phase of the operations has ended, and President Mohamud pledged that the second phase will commence soon. Enhancing collaboration with Iraq on fighting terrorism will no doubt be a critical move in the right direction for Somalia.
In conclusion, the meeting between President Mohamud and Prime Minister al-Sudani highlights the growing collaboration between Somalia and Iraq and their shared commitment to combatting terrorism. With ongoing operations in Somalia to combat Al-Shabaab, collaboration with Iraq may provide the much-needed expertise and support required to achieve success. The revival of previous agreements and the forgiveness of Somalia’s debt by Iraq underscore the desire of both countries to work together towards improved security, economic development, and diplomatic relations.
