Somaliland and Malawi agreed to enhance the bilateral relations and continue close collaboration on all sectors of mutual interests.
This development follows a meeting between the president Muse Bihi Abdi and Malawi Minister of Foreign Affairs Eisenhower Mkaka held at the Somaliland presidency in Hargeisa.
The high-level delegation led by Minister Mkaka reached Hargeisa earlier in the day for an official visit during which the delegation will explore a wide avenue for wide-ranging cooperation with counterparts and key government institutions.
The President’s meeting with the visiting Malawi delegation was attended by the Vice President, Abdirahman Abdullahi Ismail, and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Professor Yassin Mohamoud, Interior, Mohamed Kahin Ahmed, and Finance. Dr. Saad Ali Shire, respectively, and Deputy Foreign Minister Liban Yusuf.
Among Mkaka’s delegation were Mr. Martin Tom, Advisor to President Lazarus Chakwera, and William Bambi, from Malawi’s Department of Foreign Affairs for Africa and the Middle East.
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, regional situation, and issues of common interest.
The meeting also discussed ways to deepen brotherly relations between the two governments.
President Bihi briefed the delegation on the progress made by the government and its people, noting that the people of Somaliland have not received their full recognition in Africa and the world, as they have fulfilled the requirements required.
For his part, the Malawian Foreign Minister thanked the President and the people of Somaliland for the warm welcome and conveyed his greetings from the President of Malawi.
Earlier, Minister Mkaka’s delegation was received at Hargeisa’s Egal International Airport by the Somaliland Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Professor Yassin Mohamoud Hiir ‘Faratoon’.
During its stay in Somaliland, the Malawian delegation will meet various officials on strengthening bilateral relations.
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This is the first time that a high-level delegation from Malawi has visited Somaliland, a move indicating efforts by Somaliland to pressure neighboring East African countries to press for its recognition by the international community.
The arrival of the Malawian high-level delegation came following President Bihi’s recent historic three-day visit to Kenya, where the two East African nations agreed to strengthen bilateral ties on a range of areas which spanned over education, agriculture, aviation, trade, and ports – among others.
President Bihi and President Uhuru Kenyatta held intensive meetings for two consecutive days to establish a solid base for heightened bilateral relations between the two nations and the two peoples who shared common points in history, geography, and culture.
Malawi named country of the year
Malawi has been named country of the year for “reviving democracy in an authoritarian region” by the Economist Magazine.
In selecting Malawi, the London-based influential publication, which circulates in over 80 countries noted that Malawi’s decision to nullify 2019 the presidential election and the ensuing peaceful shift of power were perfect examples of how governments should handle democracy.
“The vote-count was rigged with correction fluid on the tally sheets. Foreign observers cynically approved it anyway. Malawians launched mass protests against the ‘Tipp-Ex election’. Malawian judges turned down suitcases of bribes and annulled it,” the Economist said in a statement.
A new election took place in June 2020. Incumbent Peter Mutharika lost and was replaced by Lazarus Chakwera.
The publication says Malawi beat out such countries as New Zealand and Bolivia.
Recently, the London-based think-tank Chatham House also named Malawi’s Constitutional Court judges as winners of a prestigious international award for overturning presidential elections for rigging.
The Chatham House Prize is annually awarded for “the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations.”
