Taiwan Ally Somaliland Hosts Czech Delegation

In further positive signs of an increased presence in the Horn of Africa, Taiwan’s ally in the region, Somaliland has recently hosted a high-level delegation from the Czech Republic led by the Ambassador in Ethiopia Mr. Pavel Mikes.

(The delegation) arrived in Hargeisa on an official visit and met the President of the Republic of Somaliland H.E. Muse Bihi Abdi and members of his cabinet.

According to the statement, the delegation and President Bihi discussed the official establishment of bilateral ties between the Czech and Somaliland republics, and cooperation on commerce, immigration, and development of Somaliland’s education sector particularly skills and vocational training.

The arrival of the Czech delegation comes less than two months after the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Liban Yusuf Osman’s visit to Prague where he met multiple Czech government officials.

The Czech Republic shares many similarities with Somaliland as it became independent in 1993, after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, in addition to being a close ally of Taiwan, and has earned the ire of The People’s Republic of China when a large delegation led by the Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil visited Taiwan and addressed the Taiwanese Parliament earlier in the year

Efforts to reach the Somaliland Presidency for details on the potential bilateral ties with the Czech Republic were unsuccessful.

This article first appeared in the Somaliland Chronicle and is republished with permission.