Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday tweeted a welcome to Somaliland’s first representative to Taiwan, Mohamed Omar Hagi Mohamoud, who arrived on Friday.
Mohamoud had “braved Chinese pressure” to take up his new post, Wu wrote. “The fact ‘sovereignty & friendship aren’t for sale’ deserves international recognition,” referring to a Somaliland media report earlier this month that Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi had rejected an offer by the Chinese government in exchange for ending its rapprochement with Taiwan.
Wu also thanked the US National Security Council (NSC) for praising Taiwan-Somaliland ties.
A council tweet on July 10 praised Taiwan for “stepping up its engagement in East Africa,” adding that Taiwan is a great partner in health, education and technical assistance, among other areas.
Mohamoud on Saturday also hailed his arrival with a tweet.
“#Somaliland-#Taiwan relations will always remain intact. We are ready to establish good relations with all countries — those we share values of democracy are special,” he wrote.
The government and Somaliland on July 1 announced that they would open representative offices within each other’s borders.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the two offices would open later this month or next month.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
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