By: Yusuf M Hasan
ISTANBUL (Somalilandsun) – President Silanyo and his entourage has linked up with the advance team of three ministers in the Turkish commercial hub of Istanbul.
Following a warm and presidential welcome by Turkish and Somaliland officials in Istanbul the head of state who departed the country yesterday, 9th March, shall proceed to Ankara where he is scheduled to meet with his host Premiere Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The president who was Accompanied from Hargeisa by first lady Amina Weris, Minister of the presidency Hon Hirsi Haji Ali and the youthful minister for Resettlement, Rehabilitation and National Reconstruction Dr Suleiman Isse Ahmed “Hagaltosie”, has already linked up with the advance team of Foreign Minister, Dr. Mohamed A Omar and composed of the minister of energy Eng. Hussein A Duale and Education Minister Hon Zamzam Abdi Aden.
While the
Dr. Omar led advance team whose main mandate was to prepare for the presidents arrival and schedule, has already held a number of meetings with Turkish officials the crunch of discussions is expected in Ankara after the Silanyo-Erdogan parley.
According to the foreign minister Dr Mohamed Abdilahi Omar who spoke to Somalilandsun from Ankara yesterday, the talks between the two leaders shall dwell on enhancement of bi-lateral relations between Turkey and Somaliland.
At the technical level specific topics shall revolve around avenues on the way forward between the two nations as pertains to Development assistance, investment, regional politics, and Somaliland/Somali talks as well as planned Turkish airline flights to Somaliland among others.
“Through the good offices of the Turkish premiere the visit which seems to have all the hallmarks of a state visit, will go down in history as being, politically and diplomatically speaking, the most prestigious a Somaliland president has ever made since 1991” says Dr. Omar
Political commentators say that the meeting between the Turkish Prime Minister, a world leader, and President Silanyo, a leader of an 
unrecognized country, is a great achievement for Somaliland’s diplomacy and foreign policy and perhaps that is why the Somaliland foreign Minister led a ministerial team to Turkey ahead of the president’s visit to set up the stage for the visit and to arrange high level meetings with the Turkish leadership.
While consolidation of bi-lateral relations with Turkey is expected Though this is the first such high level parley between the two countries the expected consolidation of bi-lateral relations coupled with the world reckoned achievements in home grown peaceful reconciliation and co-existence, unaided multi-sectored development as well as democratization process shall raise Somaliland’s status a notch high internationally.
For the warnings issued by President Silanyo to some warmongers at a press conference at Egal Airport Hargeisa before departure visit
http://somalilandsun.com/index.php/politics/government/2450
