As Ambassador Olgan Bekar reveals that Ankara shall host an official Somaliland Consulate
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Somaliland Occupies a unique place in the Turkish policy in Africa
The president of Somaliland Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo chaired a meeting between Somaliland and a delegation from Turkey led by that country’s resident envoy to Somalia and Somaliland Ambassador Olgan Bekar at the Hargeisa presidency.
Following the closed door meeting a joint press briefing conducted at the presidency by Amb Olgan Bekar and Somaliland minister of foreign affairs Mohamed Behi divulged snippets of discussions chief among them being local concerns about the slow pace of Somaliland Somalia talks hosted by Turkey.
“We acknowledge the slow pace of talks between your country and Somalia as well as lack of constructive outcome too” said Amb Bekar adding that a secretariat shall be established soon to ensure desired results from talks.
Turkey has been hosting internationally sanctioned talks between Somaliland and Somalia as pertains to a politically satisfying conclusion to the deadlock occasioned by the 1991 withdrawal of Somaliland from its voluntary la5er turned fateful union with Somalia.
Informing that Somaliland holds a unique position in the Afro Turkish policy owing to the relations between the two countries that originated with the Ottoman empire back in the 16th Century Amb Olgan Bekar divulged that Ankara is committed to enhanced interventions locally as pertains to various sectors chief among them being in Education, Health, Trade and Cultural exchange etc.
According to Amb Bekar the government of Turkey Having acknowledged Somaliland as a bastion of peace and security in the Horn region will host an official Consulate for Somaliland at its seat of government in Ankara thence an ease of coordination in enhanced bilateral relations.
Ambassador Olgan Bekar who presented his credential to president Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo was appointed recently as the Turkish envoy to Somalia and Somaliland thence replacing predecessor Ambassador Ambassador Kani Toru
During the talks between the President Silanyo led team and the Amb Olgan Bekar delegation, the issue of the slow pace of Turkey hosted talks between Somaliland and Somalia was among the main points discussed informed FM Behi Younis.
“While Somalia has all the time to dillydally Somaliland is impatient on the slow pace of talks as per the dictates of its people who are desirous of expedited recognition of their country as a sovereign state” said foreign minister Behi.
On the issue of development funding the Somaliland team that thanked Ankara for continued support also stressed the importance of having the government of Turkey make its local intervention proportional to that in Somalia.
Queried by Somalilandsun on how Turkey intends to ensure that Somalia adheres to agreements reached in talks with Somaliland an example of the Somalia Federal Government’s-SFG ungentlemanly actions being the joint airspace management and Coordination body to have been set up within 45 days of the last meeting, Amb Bekar could only say that his government shall establish a talks coordination secretariat.
The talks between the two formerly united countries that were sanctioned in Feb. 2012 during the Somalia Conference have resulted with naught development as a result of the SFG recanting on each and every agreement reached not to mention continued insinuations by the Mogadishu authorities that the talks are solely related to Reunification despite public statements by Somaliland not only the non negotiation but irrevocability of its Sovereignty.
Though the talks are stalled as a result of SFG shilly-shallying, technical and presidential level meetings ensuing with the first face to face one between the two in decades at Chevening Manor house in London, then UAE, followed by those in Turkey dubbed Istanbul1, Ankara1,Istanbul2 and Ankara2 have seen the SFG recant on all agreements reached thus the withdrawal calls by Somalilanders and the ongoing campaign by Hargeisa to have other countries participate in the talks thence already approached France, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and United Kingdom among others.
Listen to the briefing initially in Somali language but mainly in English by Foreign Minister Mohamed Behi and Amb Olgan Bekar
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