THT-Taiwan will dispatch a medical mission to the self-governing African territory of Somaliland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday in a statement, without providing a timeline for the mission.
I was honored to ink a momentous medical cooperation agreement between the Government of the Republic of China (#Taiwan) & the government of Republic of (#Somaliland) with H.E #josephWu. it marks a significant milestone in somaliland- Taiwan friendship & strategic partnership. pic.twitter.com/bKJvZeuX77
— Minister Liban Yousuf Osman (@DeputyLiban) June 16, 2021
The plan is part of a medical cooperation agreement Taiwan and Somaliland inked Wednesday, according to the statement, which was issued after the signing ceremony.
The mission will be stationed at a hospital in Somaliland’s capital Hargeysa to provide training for local medical staffers and help improve the territory’s healthcare capacity, the statement said.
The pact “enables our #HornOfAfrica friend & partner to boost health care services capacity benefiting the people,” MOFA said via Twitter the same day.
It was delighted to join the signing of the Medical Cooperation Agreement by Taiwan Foreign Minister Dr. Joseph Wu and Somaliland Foreign Minister Liban Yusuf Osman which will catalyze this flagship cooperation. Tough time will never last, but tough people will. https://t.co/9OKmXIE4jW
— Allen C. Lou 羅震華 (@AllenCLou1) June 16, 2021
Medical cooperation has been a key area of bilateral collaboration, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said at the signing event in Taipei.
He noted that Taiwan launched a program to address the high fatality rate among pregnant women and newborn infants in Somaliland after the two signed a pact in 2020 to advance bilateral relations.
Somaliland and Taiwan signed health cooperation agreement.
The Minister of Health Development of the Republic of Somaliland H.E @OmarAmoud spoke about the importance of health cooperation and said that it will go a long way in improving health services. pic.twitter.com/HN0z1VYrkb
— Ministry Of Health Development Somaliland (MoHD) (@SomalilandMoHD) June 16, 2021
Hon. Libaan Yousuf Osman Deputy and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs @DeputyLiban and H.E. Joseph Wu, @MOFA_Taiwan Taiwan Minister of Foreign Affairs Signed Medical Cooperation Agreement between Somaliland and Taiwan to boost health care services capacity benefiting the people. pic.twitter.com/CsF8LsOdvh
— MFA Somaliland (@somalilandmfa) June 16, 2021
The agreement, unveiled last July, also involved the opening of representative offices on one another’s territory and the appointment of envoys.
Minister Wu & @DeputyLiban, acting minister of @somalilandmfa, inked the #Taiwan–#Somaliland Medical Cooperation Agreement. The pact, an example of the #TaiwanModel in action, enables our #HornOfAfrica friend & partner to boost health care services capacity benefiting the people. pic.twitter.com/9BXvkavf2q
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) June 16, 2021
Apart from government efforts, Taiwanese civil groups have also contributed to the ties with Somaliland, Wu said, referring to medical volunteers from the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps and aid provided by the TSMC Charity Foundation.