Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met with leaders of Somalia and Somalia’s autonomous Somaliland region on Saturday in the Turkish capital for talks to mitigate problems the two sides are facing.Davutoğlu came together with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and Somaliland President Ahmed Silanyo at the Ankara Palas. Mahmoud and Silanyo were also expected to have talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish President Abdullah Gül after meeting with Davutoğlu.
Somaliland unilaterally declared its independence as a de facto sovereign state in 1991 after a coalition of clan-based armed opposition groups ousted the nation’s long-standing military government. The area is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia.
During his first diplomatic visit to Turkey in late December after taking office, Mohamud expressed his gratitude to the Turkish government and the nation for their support and aid and for instilling hope in Somalis. Mohamud, Somalia’s president since last September, was invited to Turkey by his counterpart, President Abdullah Gül.
Silanyo also visited Turkey in mid-March to have talks with Turkish officials, including Davutoğlu, who pledged to increase aid efforts to Somaliland. During his visit, Silanyo was also scheduled to meet with Erdoğan; however, the meeting had to be canceled due to Erdoğan’s poor health.
Source: TodaysZaman
