Ethiopia, Somaliland Agree to Strengthen Cooperations

January 20, 2018 - The newly-elected president of Somaliland, Musa Bihi Abd, held an audience with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn and a slew of Ethiopian government officials highlighting the importance of the relationship in areas of security, economic, trade engagement and educational cooperation.

“Ethiopia is working aggressively to dismantle Al-Shabaab from the surrounding regions since it’s our common enemy,” Prime Minister Hailemariam stated. “We have already started developing infrastructure in the corridor to facilitate the growing import-export trade of Ethiopia.” The Ethiopian leader also added that it would strengthen the nations move for a closer economic cooperation.

Despite a working government and a strong economy, the autonomous region of Somaliland continues to have difficulties in its recognition attempt to be known as a sovereign nation.

“Somaliland is not an emerging nation, we are an old country. We just celebrated our 100th anniversary,” Seid Shire (PhD), said the Foreign Minister of Somaliland. “We are a peaceful, stable and democratic country in all of Africa. We just concluded a free and fair election. We deserve to be recognized as a state.”

Despite some of the noted successes of Somaliland, it faces continuous challenges on security mostly from Al-Shabaab and others. It also has a vulnerable healthcare and education system.

With a partnership with foreign investors, specifically from the United Arab Emirates, it inaugurated the Berbera Port at a cost of USD 442 million. Ethiopia obtained a 19 percent share of the port in 2017. It was envisioned that the new port will be used as a regional trading hub. Ethiopia has also granted hundreds generous scholarships to Somaliland citizens at various public universities around the nation.

Source:- Reporter