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Egypt Stresses Importance of Maintaining Somalia’s Security, Stability

A meeting held Sunday between Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
A meeting held Sunday between Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt Stresses Importance of Maintaining Somalia’s Security, Stability

A meeting held Sunday between Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
A meeting held Sunday between Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt on Sunday emphasized the importance of achieving security, stability, and peace in Somalia as a fundamental pillar for security and stability in the entire region.

Cairo also affirmed its full support for Mogadishu.

Last January, Egypt emphasized the necessity of full respect for the unity and sovereignty of Somalia over its lands, expressing its full rejection to any measures that would undermine Somalia's sovereignty.

This came after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland that would give Addis Ababa access to the Red Sea, a key waterway for global trade. In return, Ethiopia would consider recognizing Somaliland's independence.

Mogadishu had rejected the MoU, saying it violates its sovereignty.

On Sunday, Egypt reiterated its support for Somalia’s stability during a meeting held between its Prime Minister, Moustafa Madbouly, and Ambassador Ilyas Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the outgoing Ambassador of Somalia to Egypt.

The PM affirmed Egypt’s full support for Somalia in light of close historical relations between the two sides.

Madbouly asked the ambassador to convey his greetings to the Somali Prime Minister and expressed his desire to strengthen joint cooperation between the two nations.

For his part, Abu Bakr praised the cooperation he received from Egyptian state institutions and emphasized Somalia’s aspiration for continued Egyptian support, particularly in light of the political and security challenges the country faces.

The Arab League had also rejected the MoU between Ethiopia and Somaliland and affirmed its support for Somalia’s sovereignty.

Somaliland is a former British colony that declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 but was not recognized by the international community.

Last January, the MoU faced international opposition. The US, the EU and the UK urged parties to respect Somali sovereignty.

The Somali Ambassador on Sunday expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian political leadership’s support in achieving stability in Somalia.

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Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
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Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by insurgents, and appealed on Europe to review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.
Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome on Thursday of foreign ministry officials from five countries, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.
Going into the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their European counterparts, Tajani said it was critical that all Syrians be recognized with equal rights. It was a reference to concerns about the rights of Christians and other minorities under Syria’s new de facto authorities of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HT.
“The first messages from Damascus have been positive. That’s why I’m going there tomorrow, to encourage this new phase that will help stabilize the international situation,” Tajani said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the European Union should discuss possible changes to its sanctions on Syria. “It’s an issue that should be discussed because Assad isn’t there anymore, it’s a new situation, and I think that the encouraging signals that are arriving should be further encouraged,” he said.
Syria has been under deeply isolating sanctions by the US, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war.
HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.
The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of a Syrian opposition leader whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.
Syria’s new leaders also have been urged to respect the rights of minorities and women. Many Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population before Syria’s civil war, either fled the country or supported Assad out of fear of insurgents.