|
Abkhazia and Somaliland
Have Given an Audience of Diplomats and Politicians in the European
Parliament
Brussels, May 7, 2009 –
Abkhazia and Somaliland have given an audience of diplomats and
politicians in the European Parliament, Brussels, an update on the
current security situation in the Caucasus and Horn of Africa regions.
The European Parliament has once again played host to representatives of
the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of Somaliland. In a timely
update to the new threats posed by piracy and continuing tensions in the
Caucasus, representatives spoke of the need to assist de facto states in
bringing security to the people living in their respective regions of
the world.
Organized by UNPO and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
(ALDE) the conference represented a continuation of an initiative begun
in May 2008 with the conference ‘Opening the World Order to de facto
States’.
Opening the meeting, Senator Marco Perduca, alongside moderator
Professor Kristin Bakke of Leiden University, spoke of the situation in
which de facto states currently found themselves and of the need to
ensure the international community engaged meaningfully with their
authorities.
Continuing the opening remarks, Mr. Mohamoud Daar, Somaliland
Representative to the European Union (EU), spoke of Somaliland’s
importance as a regional beacon for democratic, economic, and social
development. But the failure of the international community to extend
recognition of Somaliland’s independence had left the country in “limbo”
and “besieged…by hostile forces in the region”.
Taking up the point, Mr. Eidarus Adan, Somaliland Representative to
Sweden, noted that “training with EU-military is important, patrolling
together is also necessary in order to secure the Red Sea from piracy”.
Mr. Adan stressed that Somaliland had prevented piracy from taking root
in its territory but that cooperation with the EU had to be the next
step in combating what was increasingly a regional threat.
Mr. Adan also dwelt on issue of Somaliland’s delayed elections,
clarifying for the audience the background to the current situation.
Highlighting the steps being taken to ensure adherence to the revised
election timetable, Mr. Adan assured those present that ”Somaliland
people have chosen their way and they will not go back to anarchy and
civil war”.
With similar sentiment, Mr. Zeki Kap provided those assembled with an
Abkhazian perspective to the events of August 2008, detailing what the
consequences Georgian and Russian military engagement had spelt for the
region, and highlighting the partial recognition Abkhazia had won as an
independent state while Tbilisi slipped into an increasingly desperate
political crisis. Meanwhile Senator Marco Cappato denounced the lack of
responsibility of the international community regarding the current
situation of de facto states.
The General Secretary of the UNPO, Marino Busdachin, concluded:
Questions undoubtedly remain about what the future will hold for the
world’s de facto states, but participants clearly hope that this latest
event has helped to raise the level of understanding and debate in
Europe’s decision-making heart.
Source: UNPO
|
