Turkey sees hope for unification of Somalia and Somaliland
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s Prime Minister says he sees hope for the unification of the breakaway Somaliland region with Somalia.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was speaking on Tuesday, days after Turkey hosted a first round of talks between the Somali and Somaliland presidents to encourage dialogue between the two.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, right, speaks with Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ahead of a meeting with Somaliland's President Ahmed Siilaanyo in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday April 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Somalia wants Somaliland to be part a united country. But the territory, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has been a haven of relative peace amid the chaos in the country’s south, is seeking international recognition.
The two leaders agreed to continue talks after meeting in the Turkish capital on Sunday. Erdogan says they would meet again in Istanbul “within 90 days” for a second round of talks.
Source: AP