The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed new Somaliland Representative to Taiwan Mahmoud Adam Jama Galaal, who recently took up his post in Taipei.
Speaking at a weekly news briefing in Taipei, Chen Yung-po (陳詠博), deputy head of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs, expressed hope that Galaal would continue to enhance bilateral relations.
Galaal was appointed last month by new Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.
Photo from the Somaliland in Taiwan Facebook page
On Wednesday last week, the Somaliland Representative Office in Taiwan wrote on Facebook that Galaal sent Lunar New Year’s greetings from his government and people to Taiwan.
“On the joyous occasion of the Lunar New Year, the Republic of Somaliland and its Representative Office in Taipei extends its warm greetings and best wishes to the Government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan). May this New Year bring you prosperity, happiness and continued success,” it said.
“We cherish the strong bonds and friendship between our two countries and look forward to many more years of fruitful cooperation and shared prosperity. Happy New Year,” it added.
Before taking up the post in Taipei, Galaal was Somaliland’s ambassador to Ethiopia, as well as the minister of health, planning and national development.
Galaal was previously critical of closer ties between Somaliland Taiwan while in the opposition party.
In a February 2022 post on X, he criticized Somaliland for having close relations with Taiwan, writing that the move was “short-term megaphone diplomacy for local consumption only.”
However, on Jan. 16, Galaal wrote on X following his nomination that “foreign policy evolves with the times.”
“You may embrace something you were once uncertain about... Taiwan has won hearts & minds with unparalleled assistance for the Republic of Somaliland,” he wrote.
Asked about the new envoy’s previous comments, Chen told reporters in Taipei yesterday that it is the ministry’s understanding that the representative’s remarks were aimed at a domestic audience based on the political situation at the time, without elaborating.
Taiwan’s office in Somaliland has had “smooth communications” with the new government after Abdullahi was sworn into office on Dec. 12, Chen said.
Chen added that Galaal was now very supportive of strengthening relations between Taiwan and Somaliland.
Ties between Taiwan and Somaliland have warmed since the two sides set up representative offices in each other’s capitals in 2020.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has functioned as a de facto sovereign state ever since, but is not officially recognized by any other countries.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
RSS