“I had the intention to open a Jubaland representative office in Nairobi. Rather than opening a separate representative office in Nairobi, a decision that could damage the image of the Somali Embassy, I approached Ambassador Jamal [Hassan] and asked for him to accommodate the Jubaland representative’s office because I share a long border with Kenya, and Kenyan troops are in Jubaland” President Ahmed said.
The Jubaland president’s remarks raised eyebrows in Garowe.
“He shows that his knowledge of how diplomatic relations between countries get conducted is less than satisfactory” an invited participant from Mogadishu told a Puntland Post correspondent.
No Federal Member State has a representative office outside Somalia.
Our correspondent reports that in his keynote speech, the Jubaland President sarcastically suggested to President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohammed to form a party similar to the former Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party and conduct an election for one political party.
President Ahmed changed his mind on a part of the September agreement about conducting separate elections in Gedo and Kismayo.
Last year the Federal Government of Somalia granted the Jubaland President recognition on the basis of a two-year term in office contrary to his claim that he will lead Jubaland for four years following parallel elections held in Kismayo in 2019.
This article first appeared in the © Puntland Post, 2020 and is republished with permission.