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Qatar-Somalia relations are historical and longstanding, minister says

January 28, 2021 at 3:27 pm

Somali internally displaced people receive food distribution from a Qatari charity in Mogadishu, Somalia, on May 22, 2018 [MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB/AFP via Getty Images]

Relations between Somali and Qatar as historical and long-standing, based on the mutual respect, joint understanding and co-ordination in the regional and international forums, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Somalia Duran Ahmed Farah said, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reports

The official added that Somalia is part of the Arab and Islamic world, and continuous visits and talks between officials of the two brotherly states will consolidate the fraternal ties between them, especially since the two sides have a sincere desire and firm keenness to develop their links in various fields.

Qatar has been building a new embassy in Mogadishu, signalling the latest step in the recovery of the Somali capital after years of violent conflict. It is planned to be the second-largest embassy in Somalia; the largest is the Turkish Embassy.

In 2019, the Qatar Fund for Development started to implement a range of development projects in Somalia. The Gulf State donated a fleet of 68 armoured vehicles last year and airlifted victims of an Al-Shabab terrorist attack from Mogadishu to Doha for emergency medical treatment last February.

Qatar has also started to build a new seaport at Hobyo on the Red Sea coast, potentially strategic investment in an area of East Africa contested fiercely by Gulf rivals.

The fund explained that these projects are part of Doha’s ongoing efforts to empower developing countries and bring stability and prosperity.

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