Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to develop and strengthen diplomatic relations with Somaliland.
The UK enjoys a warm and historic relationship with Somaliland and is the only Western donor with a permanent presence in Hargeisa. The UK does not recognise Somaliland as an independent state, but UK officials engage with the local authorities on an ongoing basis on a broad range of issues. The UK is committed to pursuing prosperity and security for people across East Africa; in Somaliland, we offer support in areas such as economic infrastructure, inclusive politics, humanitarian response, security and justice.
On my recent visit to Mogadishu, I underlined our hope that people in Somaliland should benefit from the World Bank support that is now available thanks to progress under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries debt relief process. I also encouraged President Farmajo to continue the dialogue and confidence building initiative begun in Djibouti earlier this year.