On the morning of June 21, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somaliland launched the Somaliland country profile (2021) which provides valuable information on Somaliland’s history, geography, politics, economy, social information, and more. The country profile contains eight sections including sections underlining the re-independence of Somaliland in 1991, the legal case of international recognition, and investment potentials of the country.
The launching event was held in the Grand Haddi Hotel of Hargeisa and was attended by higher government officials, chiefs of missions in Somaliland, and other notable officers from different private and public sectors. Liban Yusuf Osman, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs who is also the Acting Minister, opened the event and highlighted the importance of publishing this country profile, he also underlined the misinformation and inaccurate data about Somaliland which always mislead those who want to get information about Somaliland.
“Putting facts and figures that positively and realistically projected the Republic of Somaliland was not easy. The Ministry initiated this project at a time the internet was inundated with false, derogatory information about Somaliland and maps that had no relation to reality, geography, or history, etc. … The main areas we put emphasis on are eight, namely, government, geography, demographics, historical background, the rebirth of Somaliland, legal case of Somaliland, economy, and investment potential” he said
The vice president of Somaliland, H.E Abdurahman Saylici also attended the event and expressed his appreciation to the officials of Somaliland MOFA who published the profile and organized the event.
“I am extremely grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for undertaking this national task which will go a long way in projecting correct facts about the country’s history, population, map, area, and other relevant basic facts,” the VP said.
The other notable speakers who attended the event were the Minister of Finance, Sa’ad Ali Shire, the Presidential envoy for international recognition, Dr. Edna Adan, the Minister of Information and National Guidance, Suleiman Yussuf Ali Koore, The Minister of Water Development, Mohamed Musa Derie and The representative of Taiwan in Somaliland, Amb. Allen C. Lou. They all emphasized the importance of this profile and extended their appreciation to the Somaliland MOFA.
The country profile will present realistic information about Somaliland to the uninformed citizens and to the international visitors such as diplomats, businesspeople, researchers, etc. The information will also indirectly enlighten the difference between Somaliland and Somalia.
