Q&A: EU Deputy Ambassador Garrido-Ruiz on relocation to Mogadishu and way forward

The EU Delegation in Somalia marked the EU Day this past week for the first time in its embassy in Mogadishu after it relocated from Nairobi. Goobjoog News Editor T.Roble spoke with EU Deputy Ambassador to Somalia Fulgencio Garrido-Ruiz on a range of issues and way forward as the Delegation establishes its physical footprint in Somalia.

GN: Could you explain what the EU Day means and its significance not just for the EU but also for Somalia especially that you’re making this Day for the first time in your new embassy in Mogadishu?

For us we are thrilled to be able for the first time to host our Somali counterparts, our Somali friends in our new premises of the European Union in Mogadishu. As you know for some time the presence of the European Union in Somalia has been ensured by our military and maritime missions, which was EUTM, EUCAP and ATALANTA that have been doing a great job with the Somali authorities, trying to strengthen the Somali National Army and maritime security and fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Now we are expanding that presence. Since this year, having a diplomatic and political footprint and this is even bringing us closer to the Somali people. Today for the first time we are showing our new face politically and diplomatically to the Somali community and we are proud to do so; for us is a very special celebration.

Today 60 years since a French minister called Robert Schuman proposed to create a join authority to oversee French and German production of coal and steel, launching a remarkable and very ambitious project that would change the course of Europe’s history and redefine the role of Europe in the world. So they is a lot that can be drawn from that for Somalia. For us the European project is far from over; it is a project that is for solidarity, of peace, of partnership, of shared values that we want to share with our partners. Partners that include Somalia; that want to work in a cooperative way to strengthen multilateralism and to strengthen sustainable development, democracy and human rights.

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We deeply believe that united we stand together and united, we can continue advancing towards peace, prosperity and stability. For us Somalia is one of those partners. Somalia can count on the European Union to be a long term and predictable and trusted partner. Somalia has counted on the European Union in the past. Somalia can count today on the European Union and you can count on us tomorrow and beyond. We share those values and we want to enter into a new era together where Somalia can enter into the community of nations. We are very close to that project, that’s the belief of the European Union.

With the United Kingdom on course to exiting the EU, will this affect the way you engage with Somalia and how do you intend to harmonise your working relationship as separate entities when that time comes?

I will like to reassure our Somali friends that if the United Kingdom has and when it exits the European Union, this will not affect the way and in anyway the European Union engages with Somalia and a second message of reassurance is that if there is one place where the European Union and the United kingdom share a common agenda going forward is precisely in Somalia. We share the same interest, same values; we share the same objectives in all aspects; whether it’s economy, democracy, politics, security and in that sense even if we will be very sad when the United Kingdom exit the European Union, our work in Somalia will not be affected. We will still have a common agenda that we will continue pushing together.

You have been operating from Nairobi for some time but have now relocated to Mogadishu. Does this signify a stamp of approval in terms of Somalia’s stability and two, how do you think this will change the level of engagement with Somalia?

Definitely I think just having a presence also conveys a message. When we see how much investment the European Union has placed in Somalia in all aspects, economy, in security, in democracy in the promotion of human rights, it’s difficult to believe that we didn’t have a diplomatic presence before and I think we have filled that gap by now been able this year to set foot, to be accredited in Mogadishu and being able to better engage with the Somali partners and the Somali people. If they is something I have realized over the past four month is that the human touch is essential and being here in Somalia, being able to travel creates a human bond with the people and make us better understand Somali reality, Somali culture and been able to better engage with the Somali friends.

Could you help our audience understand the difference in terms of engagement as a bloc and as individual member states of the EU?

Well it is the beauty of the European project; we are able to bring shared values and we are able to share common solidarity, to work together and lend weight to our objectives of peace and prosperity. So when it comes to the bilateral relations of our member states or multilateral together as European Union there is no contradiction whatsoever. They are not mutually exclusive, they are complimentary and they are compatible and aligned. The added value that we bring as European Union is to add more voices to what we say. When we speak, we speak on behalf of 28 member state and that gives greater credibility and greater weight to the messages that we convey and the actions that we implement.

Besides supporting various projects instituted by the Federal Government, do you also work directly with the Federal Member States?

Absolutely. Our support is not only extended to the Federal Government but across Somalia. That involves the five regional administrations and Banaadir regional administration. The way we invest and dispose our funding is a representation of all regions in Somalia. We are very encouraged  by the reform agenda of the Federal Government; how it is trying to change the way things were done in the past, how they are improving public finances, generating greater domestic revenue, how they are trying to implement currency reform, keeping a fiscal balance, how they are trying to continue making progress on the reform of the security sector and how they have a political road map that involves greater inclusivity across Somalia, across all stakeholders  that would enable Somalia to review the constitution and to hold elections in 2020 and to complete the state formation in Somalia.

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This is an agenda that we consider worthwhile supporting. In recent meetings of the international community with Somalia in Washington and in Brussels, we have endorsed that agenda and we have commended the Federal Government for the way it’s implementing it. But we also recognize that in order for that agenda to succeed, it needs the collaborative relationship between the Federal Government and the Federal Member States and this the thing that we also want to continue seeing moving forward.

NOTE:

EUCAP Somalia contributes to the establishment and capacity building of maritime civilian law enforcement capability in Somalia, including Somaliland.

EUTM provides capacity building support to the Somali National Army.

European Union Naval Force ATALANTA (EU NAVFOR) protects World Food Programme and Amisom vessels, Deters, Prevents and Represses piracy and armed robbery at sea among other roles