CAIRO – 23 December 2024: Egypt and Somalia issued a joint statement on the meeting held Monday by the foreign ministers of both countries as they agreed on elevating the ties to the strategic partnership level.
To achieve that, periodic consultations will be dedicated to each of the political, economic and trade, security and military, cultural and educational, and capacity-building axes.
Egyptian Minister Badr Abdelatty affirmed Egypt's backing to Somalia's sovereignty, unity, independence, and safety in the framework of the principles of international law, and that were included in the Ankara Declaration issued on December 11, 2024.
The Egyptian minister and his Somali counterpart stressed the importance of accelerating the formation of the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which will be effective starting January 2025 succeeding the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) founded in April 2022.
Hence, the two ministers called on the AU partners to secure the necessary and sustainable funding of the new mission taking into consideration the impact of instability in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea on international navigation, which mandate supporting the national Somali army to combat terrorism and maintain the state's properties.
On his side, Minister Ahmed Moalem Faki reiterated Somalia's aspiration that Egypt would participate effectively in AUSSOM, empowering it to accomplish its goals, given Egypt's developed military capabilities and extended experience on terrorism. He also asserted keenness on bilateral military cooperation, implementing the protocol signed in August 2024, and on benefiting from Egypt's experience on developing state institutions.
Somalia also wants a transfer of experience in the fields of diplomacy, military, healthcare, and legislation. Further, to bolster trade exchange, Cairo will host the Egyptian-Somali business forum meeting.
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