Somaliland delegation set to fly to Canada to hold talks with ICAO over airspace row

[Deeq A.]

By: Ms. Farah Mohamued

A high level Somaliland government delegation is due to fly to Canada so as to meet and hold discussions with ICAO over the airspace takeover of Somalia by the Federal government. This was disclosed by the foreign minister, Dr. Sa’ad Ali Shire in one-on-one interview with Geeska Afrika, a local Somali newspaper published in Hargeisa, the capital. Speaking on the stalled Somaliland-Somalia talks, the FM has asserted that the talks are due to commence soon. Dr. Sa’ad has reiterated that the upcoming talks will be quite different from the previous one where Somalia’s Federal Gov’t has breached the Airspace agreement signed in Istanbul, Turkey. The minister has accused Mogadishu installed authority of hastily and unilaterally taking over the airspace with the consultation of SL authority. The minister has insisted that Somaliland will not partake a meeting with Somalia which all agreement will not be respected. Dr. Sa’ad has said that Somaliland will not come to the table unless certain demands are met. The minister has urged citizens to do all they can to defend country’s self determination and lobby for its quest of an int’l recognition from the world. Somaliland unilaterally seceded from Somalia in 1991 after the country desecrated into decades of civil wars and hostilities. Since its inception, It has not been recognized but it is treated as sub autonomous region in Somalia.