Foreign Policy
Somali Foreign Policy Context
Somalia’s long struggles for liberation from colonialism, military dictatorship and civil conflict have shaped its Foreign Policy. The founders of the Republic highlighted the long-lasting link between national independence and humanity’s larger freedom, equity and the indisputable right to a shared heritage.
Somalia assumed its place as a sovereign state and actor in international relations on gaining independence in July 1960. Somalia’s Foreign Policy is guided by a strong belief that its own future is inseparable from the stability and security of its environment. Unfortunately, this stability and security have been undermined by a coup d’état in 1969, by an undemocratic regime that lasted 21 years and then by more than two decades of civil war and terrorism.
Today the nation is moving to a pluralistic and democratic system. To strategically place the country in the international arena, the framers of Somalia’s Foreign Policy have charted a pragmatic approach informed by principles that have stood the test of time. This approach is aimed at ensuring that Somalia can forge mutually beneficial partnerships