TOKYO, Japan, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On March 12, from at 5:30 p.m., Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Fumio Kishida met for approximately 20 minutes with H.E. Mr. Abdirahman Duale Beileh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Ms. Nadifo Mohamed Osman, Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction and H.E. Mr. Said Abdullahi Mohamed, Minister of Planning. Those ministers accompanied H.E. Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia during his working visit to Japan upon invitation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The outcome of the meeting is as follows.
1. Minister Kishida welcomed the visit to Japan by Minister Abdirahman, Minister Nadifo and Minister Said shortly after their appointments as ministers of Government of Somalia in January this year. He stated that he would continue to strongly support Somalia as a key country in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), under the pillar of “Peace and Stability.” Minister Abdirahman stated that Japan and Somalia have enjoyed a historical relationship from well before the outbreak of Somalia’s civil war, and that he was pleased to have the opportunity to discuss with high-level officials of the Government of Japan, including Minister Kishida.
2. Minister Abdirahman stated that he also would like to use this visit as an opportunity to engage in practical discussions regarding Japan’s continuous support to Somalia. Minister Kishida replied that Japan would continue to provide assistance to Somalia from the perspective of human security, and that he hopes to continue the bilateral discussions regarding challenges facing Somalia.
3. In addition, Minister Kishida explained that there is a concern about the security situation in Somalia, as demonstrated by the attack against Somali Presidential Palace by Al-Shabaab last month. In this context, Minister Kishida stated that Japan continuously render its assistance, together with international community to bolster security measures and anti-piracy measures. In return, Minister Abdirahman expressed gratitude to Japan’s contributions, and expressed Somalia’s determination to work with its partners in the international community including Japan, toward stabilizing the Horn of Africa region.
4. At the end of the meeting, Minister Kishida said he sincerely hopes that President Hassan’s visit be productive.The ministers agreed to further strengthen the bilateral relationship following the visit.
(* The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)
Did you find this information helpful? If you did, consider donating.