UN envoy in Somalia, James Swan has held a meeting with Somaliland leader in Hargeisa town.
In a statement, UNSOM said United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative and the leader discussed the importance of building on Somaliland’s achievements as well as preparing for upcoming elections in the region.
“We also discussed the importance of completing the necessary preparatory work to proceed to credible parliamentary and local elections very soon,” he said.
He welcomed the agreement inked the ruling party and other opposition political parties in the upcoming parliamentary and local elections.
“In that context, I was pleased to learn of the agreement reached yesterday among political parties that we hope will lead to these elections on an early timeline,” he commended.
The envoy called the rival sides in Somaliland to resolve their differences on the negotiating table.
“Critical to that is finding ways of resolving differences peacefully and constructively, and maintaining open channels of communication,” Swan said.
On his part, Somaliland’s Minister of Finance, Sa’ad Ali Shire, said a wide range of issues had been discussed, including forging closer cooperation and how to further scale up the UN’s local development activities.
“A common understanding on how to strengthen the relationship and cooperation took centre stage during the discussions,” the Somaliland official said.
The two-day visit to Hargeisa was the UN envoy’s first since assuming his post in late June.
