Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto visited Somalia

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto visited Mogadishu, Somalia, on 7 April. He met President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abshir Omar Jama, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Khadija M. Almakhzoumi and international actors in Somalia.

The topics of the meetings included Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, bilateral relations between Finland and Somalia, political and peace processes in Somalia and the Horn of Africa, and environmental and climate matters. The foreign ministers agreed to start political consultations between Finland and Somalia.

“The Government of Somalia that was elected last year has launched an active war against terrorism, while also pursuing progress in state-building. Finland supports Somalia in its efforts to promote democracy and stability and to eradicate poverty. I communicated to the Somalian state leaders the importance of Somalia supporting the international community in its efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Haavisto says.

In Mogadishu, Foreign Minister Haavisto met Finns who are working in Somalia. “A number of Finnish experts and soldiers are serving in Somalia in crisis management operations of the EU and the UN. In addition, the Somali diaspora in Finland is doing extremely valuable work in reconstructing Somalia and promoting relations between our countries.”

Foreign Minister Haavisto met Somalia’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Khadija M. Almakhzoumi. On behalf of Finland, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of the Environment in Finland and Somalia that was drawn up earlier this year. Finland and Somalia have agreed on closer dialogue to respond to climate change, loss of biodiversity, environmental problems and pollution and to strengthen the capacity of Somalia’s newly established Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

“Climate change has extremely tangible effects in Somalia, and the unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa has brought the country to the brink of famine. Environmental and climate impacts can also feed conflicts. It is important to support Somalia in introducing different kinds of long-term solutions that lead for instance to better land use and enable better living conditions.”