The Ministry received a large UN delegation which was led by Peter de Clerq DSRSG (Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General) for Somaliland and Somalia, who is also the UN Humanitarian Coordinator. The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Adan Ismail (Keyse) expressed gratitude for the support the UN has provided in response to the drought, which has included food, water and medical care for the people affected by drought. The Vice Minister urged the UN to provide now only immediate assistance, but also support for a long-term approach as drought is a recurring phenomenon. The Deputy SRSG expressed support for the Government of Somaliland’s efforts to finalize its second National Development Plan and suggested that drought responses be considered as part of the NDP.
The Vice Minister affirmed that Somaliland is committed to continuing talks with Somalia, but criticized the Federal Government of Somalia for the unilateral actions which caused the last round of talks in Istanbul to collapse. He reiterated that Somaliland is aggrieved by Somalia’s efforts to include Somaliland in the federal structure and electoral process saying “Somaliland is a sovereign state, separate to Somalia, that will never accept being subject to foreign interference”.
The Vice Minister noted that the Somaliland looked forward to working in close cooperation with UN agencies to address humanitarian and development issues such as the drought and national development
