U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, Hon. Richard Riley and Somalia’s Defense Minister, Ahmed Ma’alin Fiqi held a high level meeting in Mogadishu yesterday. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the two countries particularly the fight against extremist groups like Al-shabab and ISIS.
The meeting was part of the constant efforts between the two sides in which they are committed to ensure peace and stability in Somalia. Ambassador Riley said that the U.S. is committed to provide support to the Somali Federal Gov’t in order to establish security agencies that are capable of combating extremist groups.
He said: “The cooperation we have with Somalia is a strategic one. We will continue to standby the efforts which are aimed to maintain the security.” Somali defense minister, Ahmed Ma’alin Fiqi said that the Somali Federal Gov’t is committed to continue the working cooperation with U.S. in order to eradicate the threat posed by Al-Shabab and ISIS.
He also stated the importance of the U.S. support in terms of trainings, providing equipment, and upgrading the quality of Somalia’s armed forces. The focus of the meeting was to enhance the bilateral ties and ways to create longstanding strategy which is aimed to consolidate the capacity of the security forces in Somalia.
The two sides reached a common understanding on the importance in order to set up quality security agencies that will comply with the int’l law and human rights. Finally, the U.S. and Somalia pledged to further continue the security cooperation while giving a top priority to the long term mission which is to have Somalia which is enjoying a period of peace and stability and which is free from the threat posed by terrorist groups. The meeting is a clear example of how the two countries are committed to ensure the security and peace in the region.
