Somali President bids farewells Mr Philippe Lazzarini

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, held a farewell meeting with the outgoing Deputy Special Representative, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator to Somalia, Mr Philippe Lazzarini.

The President thanked Mr Lazzarini for his work in supporting Somalia during his tenure, acknowledging Mr Lazzarini’s thoughtful and proactive contributions in particular in response to the significant humanitarian issues facing Somalia.

“I sincerely thank you for your dedication and the good work to this country. You have always been a champion of Somalia, lobbying and advocating for international support to help Somalia recover from crises and build national resilience. We appreciate this. We acknowledge your significant contribution to the welfare of the Somali people. We look forward to continuing support from the international community, especially as we move forward from an emergency/humanitarian driven response to a development model and infrastructure revival, so that our people become self-sufficient in the future,’’ the President said.

Mr Lazzarini, in response, thanked Somalia for the genuine cooperation extended to him during his tenure.

The meeting also discussed the political future of Somalia, progress so far made on state formation, Vision 2016 and other related activities.