His Excellency the President of the Republic of Somaliland, Musa Behi Abdi, left for Djibouti on his very first visit abroad, today, following his inauguration as President on December 14, 2017.
The President was received by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Ghelle, upon arrival where the Somaliland President was accorded a full, unprecedented state reception at the airport.
President Behi’s visit follows an official invitation his counterpart, President Ismail Omar Ghelle, sent him.
A brief explanation given of the President’s visit established that the President would be raising with his counterpart and host, President Ghelle, matters that were of great import to the two countries which included relation old and new that touched on security, socio-economy and diplomacy.
President Behi, it was said, intended to intensify Somaliland’s 27-year old quest for own sovereignty, beginning with the nearest neighbor and erstwhile member of the five Somalias the five-pronged star of the Somalia flag represented. The Greater Somalia dream in the colonial era comprised of British Somaliland, Italian Somalia, French Somaliland (Djibouti), Hawd & Reserve Area + Ogadenia of Eastern Ethiopia and the Northern Frontier District (NFD) Of Kenya. Djibouti freed itself of that dream on June 27, 1977, by striking out on its own as a fully independent, sovereign state. Somaliland seeks to restore an independence it hurriedly ceded in a disastrous, ill-fated union with Italian Somalia in 1960 to pave the way for a reception of the other three members of the Greater Somalia quest.
Accompanying the President on this visit was the Foreign Minister, Dr. Saad Ali Shire, Minister for Education, Prof. Yassin Mohamoud Hiir ‘Faraton’, Minister for Justice, Abdiqani Mohamoud Atteye, Somaliland Police Commander Major General, Abdullahi Fadal Iman, Navy Commander, Brigadier General, Abdi Hersi Duale and two members of the presidency press office.
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