|
Copenhagen, Denmark,
Feb 04, 2012 (SL Times) – Denmark will open a bilateral program office
in Somaliland, the Foreign Ministry said here Friday.
The program is the first of its kind by a Western country in Somaliland,
the foreign ministry added, in an official statement.
"The positive development we see there is fragile, and that is why the
international community must support these developments right now,"
Danish Development Minister Christian Friis Bach said in the statement.
Permanently staffed by two advisers in Hargeysa, the Somaliland capital,
the Somaliland program office will focus on "security, health, and
education efforts in cooperation with Somaliland's elected local
government," Bach said
Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991, following a military coup
there, and is not internationally recognized as an independent country.
It has made modest steps towards establishing rule of law, democratic
governance, and a functioning economy in recent years, but large parts
of its population live in poverty.
Somalia itself has been without a functional government since 1992, and
is host to a number of terror groups, as well as pirates who target
international shipping in regional waters.
Bach visited Somalia this week, where he announced a doubling of Danish
development aid to the country, from 100 million Danish kroner (17.7
million U.S. dollars), to 200 million kroner (35.4 million dollars) per
year, for the next three years.
He said a stable Somaliland could become a role model of progress for
Somalia and the entire Horn of Africa, which, if stabilized, would curb
piracy, terrorism, and flow of refugees.
Meanwhile, Christian Fris Bach, the Danish Minister for Development
Cooperation, Kingdom of Denmark, led a large delegation on a visit to
Somaliland this week.
After the meeting with the delegation, Somaliland's President Ahmed
Muhammad Mohamud (Sillanyo) spoke with the press and said, "Denmark is a
country that works closely with us. It takes a big part in our economic
progress. It is a country that values Somaliland's peace and stability.
They want to take part in many projects, especially ones that have to do
with the local government.”
The Danish Minister in turn said that the peace and stability of
Somaliland has drawn his country to it, and he came to strengthen the
ties between his country and Somaliland. He also announced that his
government will open an office in Somaliland for cooperation between the
two sides. We are opening this office so we can do more, he added.
In his meeting with the Danish minister, President Ahmed Sillanyo was
accompanied by the minister of the presidency, Hirsi Ali Haji Hasan and
the Minister of Planning, Dr. Sa'ad Ali Shire.
Source: SL Times/Xinhua
|
