Somaliland’s new minister of foreign affairs @min_abdirahman said he has not yet seen the controversial Memorandum of Understanding that @musebiihi signed with @AbiyAhmedAli on Jan 1, 2024.
Abdirahman Dahir Adan admits he was against the MOU before he became the foreign minister recently.
He says his opposition was based on the lack of clarity and “contradicting” statements that were coming from Ethiopia and @musebiihi.
“What Ethiopia was saying and what the president was saying were different. He said he swapped it (sea access) with recognition. They were saying we’ll consider recognition after we get access…we do not have anywhere where they (Ethiopia) said they will recognise Somaliland,” he said during a parliamentary subcommittee questioning.
He said he plans to see the MOU.
“We’ll knock every door to get a recognition, but we’ll not go to hell in search of recognition; we’ll not ruin our people…the recognition, the interest of the people of Somaliland, and the interest of the other country must align,” he said
“If we sell our country, give it to someone and they say they recognise us, but our resources and life belongs to others, it makes no sense….recognition comes from god.”
He promised to review the MOU.
“I pledge to you. If our interest is in that MOU, and there is a recognition, and it benefits us, we would like more than anyone else to accept it, we will look into it, we plan to discuss it, that is what we told Ethiopia, and they understood. They understood we have not seen the content of the MOU; and that it has not been presented to the Somaliland people, and to the legislative branches, they know that.”