President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to resume talks with Somaliland.
The head of state was speaking after holding meetings with Turkey and Norway representatives in Mogadishu.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud acknowledged the role Turkey and Norway had played in the previous talks which he believes was the good start for the two sides to come to the negotiation table together.
Talks between Somali and the breakaway Somaliland region were in 2020 hailed as historic, as kick-starting a political dialogue between the two to resolve their longstanding differences.
Not much progress has been recorded since the talks between Mogadishu and Hargeisa began.
According to Villa Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud extended gratitude to the Turkey and Norway governments for their efforts to revive talks between Somaliland and Somalia.
Underlining his national plan “Somalia at peace with itself and the World,†that includes addressing the decades-long Somaliland issue.
The decade-long Somaliland and Somalia talks have been ongoing since 2012 and a series of high-level talks between the two countries have been held in Ankara, London, and Djibouti with various state and international bodies as mediators and observers.
However, earlier this year, the Somaliland government officially suspended talks with Somalia.
The foreign affairs minister of Somaliland Esse Kayd stated the lack of seriousness on the part of Somalia as the reason for abandoning what he called the 10 year long fruitless talks with Somalia.
Somalia “does not recognize Somaliland’s breakaway status, and therefore maintains it is still part of Somalia’s territorial integrity, and that the Federal Government bases in Mogadishu therefore has authority over Somaliland as well,†he added.
Both Somalia and Somaliland have this year marked the 62nd anniversary of the liberation of the whole of Somalia from colonizers.
A former British protectorate, Somaliland got its independence in 1960 but days later joined Somalia.
In 1991, it declared independence from the rest of the country following war with the government in Mogadishu.
