Somaliland’s new president, Abdirahi Mohamed Abdullahi, favors the continued development of close ties to Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday.
While the two countries did not maintain official diplomatic relations, they opened representative offices in each other’s capital in 2020. Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu (吳志中) attended the presidential inauguration Thursday as Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) special envoy.
Since both sides faced regional challenges including pressure from China, the new government would maintain close and mutually beneficial relations, Abdellahi said. He expressed the hope that more Taiwanese businesses would invest in the East African country, per CNA.
During his meeting with Wu, Abdellahi described Taiwan as a key partner. He emphasized their collaboration in fields including telecom, education, and public health, adding the projects had helped raise the living standards of the people of Somaliland.
Wu also met with outgoing President Muse Bihi Abdi and discussed the priorities of the new administration with senior government members, MOFA said.