By M.A. Egge
The President of the Republic of Somaliland, His Excellency Muse Bihi Abdi and his entourage jetted off the country on Thursday morning for a crucial meeting that is bent on resuscitating the Somaliland-Somalia Talks that had stalled since 2019 in Djibouti.
A statement from the Presidency contained in a press circular noted that “the purpose of the trip by the Somaliland delegation led by the President is to continue the talks between Somaliland and Somalia which will be at the Presidential level”.
It continued further, “The working trip of the President and his delegation will take a short time”.
The Head of State was accompanied the Ministers of Finance Hon. Dr. Saad Ali Shire, National Planning and Development Hon. Ahmed Mohamed Diriye (Toorno), Internal Affairs Hon. Mohamed Kahin Ahmed, Education and Science Hon. Ahmed Adan Buhane and the Special Envoy of Somaliland in charge of Somaliland-Somalia dialogue Lady Edna Adan Ismail, who was already in Djibouti, ahead of the President’s delegation.
Meanwhile reports reaching from Djibouti says that upon his arrival in Djibouti , the President H.E. Muse Bihi held a prelude meeting with his host President Guelleh of Djibouti and President Hassan Sheikh of Somali in opening the way forward for the resumption of the Talks between Somaliland and Somalia.
A statement on the matter published at the Facebook page of the Djibouti leader noted that there was already a breakthrough in the resumption of the Talks. It notes that the Djiboutian President has been able to have broken the ice and paved way for the stalled Talks to continue.
It read; “The Head of State, His Excellency Ismail Omar Guelleh, through the provision of a discussion and mediation platform, opened the way for the resumption of talks between the Federal Republic of Somalia and Somaliland.
“Speaking this Thursday at the Palais de la République, the resumption of talks between Somalia and Somaliland took place in the form of a hearing of direct interviews between President Hassan Cheikh Mahamoud and President Moussa Bihi Abdi.
“By restoring the dialogue between the two parties on one of the most crucial topics engaging their future, Djiboutian diplomacy thus succeeds, under the auspices of President Guelleh, the feat of breaking the ice between Somalia and Somaliland, such that the talks may resume”.
It further noted that President Guelleh has significantly inspired confidence to both the Somaliland and Somalia hence the two sides are willing to resume, under his mediation, the talks that have been suspended since 2019.