Africa-Press. The chief diplomat of Somaliland in Taiwan stated during the opening of a new office that Somaliland has the right to choose its own relationships, and that the pressures exerted by Beijing and Mogadishu have not succeeded in altering its friendship with Taipei.
In a press interview, the Somaliland representative to Taiwan, Mahmoud Adam Jama Jalal, described the island as a “very important ally.”
In response to a question about the desire of Beijing and Mogadishu to end Somaliland’s relations, Jalal said that the main political parties in Somaliland are united in resisting political pressure.
He stated, “We have the right to choose whom we establish relations with. It is our right, and therefore the methods of pressure have not been successful,” adding that his government has not communicated with China recently.
In April of last year, Somalia banned the entry of holders of Taiwanese passports in protest against the relations between the two sides.
“Somaliland remains an integral part of Somalia, and we strongly condemn external attempts to bypass the legitimate federal government in Mogadishu,” said Ali Mohamed Omar, the Somali State Minister for Foreign Affairs, to a local source on Friday.
For his part, Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu, speaking at the office opening, noted that cooperation has expanded to include a wide range of areas over the past six years.
