Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended the 32nd Arab League summit in Jeddah on Friday.
The pan-Arab summit brings together 22 member countries represented by their respective heads of state and government, along with five observer nations.
During his remarks at the summit, President Mohamud highlighted the Somali government’s new anti-terror operations and the readiness of the Somali Army to assume security responsibility from African Union troops. He also emphasized Somalia’s debt relief goals and political stability.
“We must enhance and strengthen cooperation at the Arab level. Somalia is currently recovering from challenging circumstances, and we hope for increased brotherly support from all of you. A stable and peaceful Somalia is a victory for all Arab countries,” said the President.
President Hassan Sheikh welcomed the Syrian Republic’s return to the Arab League Forum, expressing the support of the government and the people of Somalia. He reiterated the Federal Republic of Somalia’s call for the people in Sudan to cease the war and engage in negotiations to resolve the situation.
After more than a decade of isolation, Bashar al-Assad, the President of war-torn Syria, has been readmitted to the Arab League.
On Friday, al-Assad participated in the regional bloc’s 32nd summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, marking his first attendance since Syria’s suspension following the outbreak of war in 2011.
In his speech, he described the summit as a “historic opportunity” to address regional crises. Meanwhile, hundreds of people protested in rebel-held northern Syria against his presence at the event.
