His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon today met with a delegation from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Prime Minister welcomed Under-Secretary, Michael Starbaek Christensen, and Danish Ambassador to Somalia, Geert Andersen to Mogadishu and updated them on the great strides Somalia is making on political reconciliation and capacity building of government institutions. He thanked Denmark for the support and assistance it is providing Somalia on public finance management and education, and for Denmark’s recent commitments made through the New Deal.
“I want to thank you for coming to Mogadishu today, for the support you have given the large number of Somalis in Denmark and the assistance you have given us on Public Finance Management, Education and most recently through the New Deal ” said the Prime Minister. “After 22 years with no central government we face many challenges rebuilding our nation but our priorities remain security, political reconciliation and institution rebuilding. The best way for the international community to assist Somalia is through the New Deal Compact so that all support is bilateral with the Somali Federal Government, ensuring that the Somali people’s priorities are met”.
Discussing political reconciliation the Prime Minister updated the delegation on the ongoing Jubba reconciliation conference and political roadmap to elections in 2016, “We want the future new Somalia will be built on strong federalist states under the banner of a United Somalia. A united Somalia where politics isn’t exclusive to the minority”, said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister and delegation also discussed the current security situation “Somalia has made great strides in driving Al-Shabaab back but they are not yet finished. The future security and stability of Somalia relies on building a well-trained and resourced SNAF. We cannot defeat the terrorists just militarily we must fight a comprehensive campaign drawing on military resources, education, economic recovery and communications.”
