By: Abdi Muse
Somaliland foreign minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omar.
Hargeysa (RBC) Turkish government has invited officials from both the Somalia federal government and the break away region of Somaliland to hold first talks in Turkey in the mid of this month, Somaliland foreign minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omar said on Monday.
In a press comference in Hargeysa, minister Omar confrmed that Somaliland administration hs received the invitation letter from the Turkish prime minister to come to Turkey for talks with the Somali federal government.
“Both sides of Somaliland and Somalia have received the invitation and we confirm that we have officially approved.” the minister said.
Somaliland, an autonomous region in the north of Somalia has been lobbying to be separate state from Somalia since 1992, a year after the overthrown of former central government in Somalia, However, Somaliland’s self-proclaimed independence remains unrecognised by any country or international organization.
In 2012, both sides have started the first formal talks in London and were mediated by the British government but this time it is a new Turkish initiative.
“The two presidents will sit together and will discuss various issues concerning Somalia and Somaliland.” the minister added.
He says that the agenda will include the separatist movement of his region, a point which the federal constitution of Somalia does not permit.
Somali federal government has not yet confirmed the initiative.
On Sunday, Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo has repeated that his administration will not attend the upcoming London conference on Somalia hosted by British government that will be held on May 7th, 2013 in London.
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