Taiwan and Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, will establish diplomatic missions in each other’s “capitals”. This was recently reported by the news agency Reuters, citing a statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan Joseph Wu.
According to the agency’s journalists, the cooperation agreement between Taiwan and Somaliland, located in the strategically important region of the Horn of Africa, was signed back in February, but it was not made public.
On June 1, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu announced that the governments of Taiwan and Somaliland “have agreed that the establishment of representative offices will best serve the interests of one another”.
The President of Somaliland Muse Bihi has appointed Mohamed Hagi to head his Taiwanese office. In turn, Taiwan has appointed Taiwan capital Lou Chen-Hwa as its representative in Hargeisa, the capital of the unrecognized African state.
We warmly welcome President @musebiihi‘s appointment of Amb. Mohamed Omar Hagi Mohamoud as the #Somalilandrepresentative to #Taiwan. A political scientist & senior diplomat, @mohamed_hagi will make a fine addition to the country’s diplomatic corps. pic.twitter.com/tEaLN2DX8v— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) July 4, 2020
Moreover, Joseph Wu stopped a step away from finally recognizing Somaliland as a sovereign and independent state.
“They have been recognized by many countries as a very free, democratic country in Africa,” he said. “So, in essence, Somaliland is an independent country.”
However, the official account of Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Somaliland an “ independent country”.
We’ve signed an agreement with #Somaliland to establish good relations. A #TaiwanRepresentative Office will be set up in this independent country on the Horn of #Africa. We’re thousands of miles apart, but share a deep-seated love of freedom & democracy. JW pic.twitter.com/JY78AvXbwS— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) July 1, 2020
Wu did not provide details of any assistance that Taiwan could provide to Somaliland, but said that the African country is rich in energy resources and fishing grounds.
The strategic importance of Somaliland
In May 1991, the independent State of Somaliland was proclaimed in northern Somalia, which has not yet been officially recognized by the international community. Modern Somalia itself was created by the unification of two former European colonies, Italian Somalia and British Somalia. It was the territory of former British Somalia (which formerly belonged to the Ottoman Empire) that separated in 1991, taking the name Somaliland.
