Somaliland: Istanbul is not the end of the world

''If the Turkish proposed role is not well-matched to our position and status, and then we must try our best to work in tandem; seek the expert advice and the support of our international friends''. Yusuf Dirir

- I strongly feel that we should have had this public debate months ago and not just few weeks before the Istanbul conference for Somalia. We had the opportunity and abundance of time to discuss and to firm up a united strategy and then go around the world and make our position known to all.

I am not sure if the Somaliland government attempted to parley with the Turkish government on a mutually acceptable framework for Somaliland’s participation in the Istanbul conference on Somalia, but if that discourse did not take place with the Turkish government immediately after the London conference and during the Turkish ambassador’s visit to Hargeisa, then we must realize that we have a life-size setback in efficiently managing our foreign affairs, someone must shoulder the culpability and not blame the Turkish government. The sovereignty file must always remain our priority and we must make sure that we will not have a similar occurrence in the future.

Before we send out the ‘invitation rejection letter’ to the Turkish government, the president must work out a sound strategy with Somaliland’s top diplomatic and legal experts on ways of directly engaging the prime minister of the conference hosting country. He must seek a clarification on our role in the up coming Istanbul conference on Somalia. If the Turkish proposed role is not well-matched to our position and status, and then we must try our best to work in tandem; seek the expert advice and the support of our international friends.

We must expeditiously despatch a high level delegations to the important capital cities, because it is crucially imperative that we take a proactive role and provide all the relevant information in regard to our position on Somalia. We must immediately contact all concerned parties including the Somalia contact group, the member countries of the Security Council, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Secretary General of the Arab League, and the Secretary General of the African Union, the foreign affairs commissioner of the EU and the current Presidency of the European Union.

We must clearly state that we are steadfastly abiding by the London communiqué and continue to welcome an internationally observed dialogue with Somalia about our future relations. Other than that, we must audaciously state that we wish all the best for Somalia and we must clearly and assertively affirm that we have no enthusiasm or interest in getting jumbled-up with Somalia’s precarious internal political conflicts.

I leave the final decision to the democratically elected government of the Republic of Somaliland, but would like to assure the Somaliland public that Istanbul is not the end of the world and our position on our sovereignty is unshakable and stronger than ever. Let us keep on working solidly for a sovereign, democratic, peaceful and prosperous Somaliland.

Yusuf Dirir Ali,MD

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Posted by Ahmad Ali