Addis Ababa March 16/2023 /ENA/ Ethiopia and Somalia are strengthening bilateral relations in various fields of cooperation, First Secretary of Somalia Embassy to Ethiopia Mohamed Omar Yarisow said.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, First Secretary Omar said that the strong bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Somalia is not just because they are neighbors or share common cultural heritage but also in terms of security.
“We are hoping that Ethiopia can play a very key role in liberation of a lot of Somalia and the stabilization against a lot of extremist groups, but more in terms of the cultural awareness that we share between the two countries. So we hope we can enhance as much as possible. Anything; that we can do to support the cause of a greater and more secure and more prosperous Horn of Africa is a benefit for everyone in the region,” he elaborated.
The collaboration in maintaining security across the region by leaders of the countries is pivotal; Omar emphasized, and noted “I think that close security collaborations will lead to a safer, secure and more stable region.”
Ethiopia is a very key player in terms of green energy in terms of tackling of climate change by planting billions of tree seedlings through the Green Legacy Initiative, Omar said.
“This is something that we hope to transfer within Somalia as well. We are trying to tackle the effects of climate change by promoting greenery.”
The First Secretary noted “I think the targets which have been set by Ethiopia is something that we are also transcribing within Somalia as well.”
“Ethiopia is key and advancer of green energy in terms of cars and electric cars which are being built within the country. We’re hoping this will transfer within the great Horn of Africa and a great to Africa as a whole,” he pointed out.
The Horn of Africa is drastically affected by climate change calamities even though its contribution is insignificant, he said, and stressed “so we need to be thinking of more broader or greener sort of ways of becoming resilient against climate change.”
According to him, the Green Legacy Initiatives which have been launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is playing a key role within the Greater Horn of Africa region.
It is to be recalled that the leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in politics and economy apart from cooperation in peace and security during Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud visit to Ethiopia last September.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency