Somalia and Canada Agree To Deepen Bilateral Ties

ADDIS ABABA - The President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Sunday held sideline talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his latest offensive to expand global networks.

Farmajo, who his facing a re-elect headache back in Somalia, was among dozens of African leaders who attended AU conference on "silencing the guns" in Africa.

Africa is battling decades of instability with the rise of armed militias across the continent, with Somalia being the worst affected due upsurge of Al-Shabaab insurgents.

The meeting with Canadian leaders focused on improving "bilateral relations" between the two nations, which has been cordial for many decades, Villa Somalia said.

"I enjoyed a fruitful discussion with PM @JustinTrudeau on the sidelines of the AU Summit today," Farmajo said, praising the Canadian leader as a "true leader".

"We discussed further strengthening the strong bilateral relations between our two sides. Canada and Somalia share strong people to people relations and we endeavor to build on this," he added.

For years, Canada has been hosting thousands of Somali refugees, throughout the decades of conflict and political instability.

While observing the hospitality accorded to the people of Somalia by the Canadian government, Trudeau termed the relationship "deep and honest".

"Canada has one of the world’s largest Somali diaspora communities, and the people-to-people ties between our two countries run deep," he said.

Trudeau added: "Today, I met with President @M_Farmaajo and talked about building on those ties, increasing economic cooperation, and more."

Many Somali nationals have contributed immensely to Canada's social-economic development and geopolitics, shaping the country's future.

For instance, Ahmed Hussein, the immigration minister who won re-election last year, is one of high ranking Somali-Canadian in the political arena.

Somalia is fixing internal economic downturns and has been reaching out to the international community to revamp the ailing economy.

Despite signing several tripartite agreements with other nations, the Horn of Africa nation is battling to settle $4.8 billion debts, which have slowed down growth.

GAROWE ONLINE