President meets with Somaliland group

‘BEACON OF DEMOCRACY’: An official said that a coast guard deal signed with the African nation would boost maritime security cooperation with other democracies

• By Esme Yeh / Staff reporte
• President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday met with Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdirahman Dahir Adam Bakal, expressing hopes to deepen bilateral ties and fulfill the strategic goal of a “non-red” Somaliland shoreline.

Lai met with a delegation led by Bakal in the morning prior to an afternoon ceremony to sign the Agreement Between the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Government of the Republic of Somaliland on Coast Guard Cooperation.

The others in the delegation were Somaliland Minister of the Presidency Khadir Hussein Abdi; Admiral Ahmed Hurre Hariye, commander of the Somaliland Coast Guard; and Mohamed Omar Hagi Mohamoud, the Somaliland president’s lead adviser on foreign affairs and international cooperation.

Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdirahman Dahir Adam, left, and President William Lai shake hands at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: CNA

Lai said that Bakal, Abdi and Hariye were visiting Taiwan for the first time, expressing thanks for their support for the nation.

He also thanked Mohamoud — who in January finished five years as Somaliland’s ambassador to Taiwan — for his continued help to deepen Taiwan-Somaliland relations in his new post.

Somaliland is known as the beacon of democracy in the horn of Africa, Lai said.

He congratulated Somaliland for having successfully carried out presidential and other elections last year, adding that he sent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) to Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi’s inauguration ceremony to facilitate bilateral cooperation and friendship.

The authoritarian bloc continues to ramp up suppression of Taiwan’s and Somaliland’s international participation, Lai said.

“To address the situation, both sides should continue to deepen our partnership and demonstrate our resilience as a democratic alliance, as well as our firm position in defending our values,” he said.

Taiwan’s and Somaliland’s reciprocal representative offices are entering their fifth year this year, with efforts by both sides to promote exchanges bearing fruit, Lai said.

The deal on coast guard cooperation is expected to pave the way for bilateral cooperation in the unexplored field of maritime affairs, he said.

Lai also expressed support for Abdullahi’s focus on maritime security and the “blue economy” in his policies for Somaliland, saying that more like-minded partners should be involved in addition to enhancing the bilateral partnership.

“We also hope to establish a trilateral or multilateral cooperation platform to work with more like-minded countries, such as the US, in achieving the strategic goal of a ‘non-red’ Somaliland shoreline,” he said.

Bakal said that Taiwan is a peaceful nation that shares Somaliland’s democratic values and goal of earning international recognition.

“I’m glad that the relationship with Taiwan is growing by the day,” he said.

Bakal said that the bilateral relationship faces challenges, adding that Somaliland’s ties with Taiwan would not be changed no matter how great the pressure.

“We would continue to resist any pressure,” he said.

In the afternoon, Coast Guard Administration Director-General Chang Chung-lung (張忠龍) and Hariye signed the coast guard agreement.

The deal would help enhance Taiwan’s maritime security cooperation with democratic countries and represents a key outcome of Taiwan promoting maritime diplomacy, Chang’s agency said.

Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said the agreement covers areas including visits, training, exchanges, and joint maritime search-and-rescue operations.

The signing of the agreement strengthens the Taiwan-Somaliland democratic partnership in maritime governance, humanitarian care and regional security, Kuan said.

Additional reporting by CNA