Somaliland responds to Turkey’s Ambassador over recognizing Somaliland passport

The breakaway Somaliland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Saad Ali Shire has responded to the Turkish Ambassador’s statement on the recognition of Somaliland’s passport.

Shire said that Somaliland passport was not an ID but official passport of Somaliland: “We do not have ID’s which are different from passport.”

Regarding the Nile Academy that is run by Gulem charity organisation, Shire said Somaliland is an independent country with respect to law and order.

He said the country could close the schools without clear prove that they were behind the recent failed coup attempt in Turkey.

The Turkish envoy to Somalia Ambassador, Olgan Bekar, on Saturday dismissed reports that Turkey recognised the passports of Somaliland citizens.

Bekar told a news conference in Mogadishu  that Turkish authorities see Somalia as one single country.“We have not accepted Somaliland passports, nor did we recognize their independence,” he was quoted saying by Somali media: “We are working on a united and better Somalia.

People in Somaliland and Somalia belong to one nation. We need Somalis to remain united as one country,” he added.

Not so long ago, the Turkish city of Istanbul hosted several rounds of talks between United Nations-backed national government of Mogadishu and Hargeisa’s Somaliland.

The latter, located in northwestern Somalia, declared its independence from the rest of the country in 1991 but is yet to be recognized internationally.