Estonia Opens Diplomatic Relations with Somalia
Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet and Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia Abdiweli Mohamed Ali formally established diplomatic relations between their countries in Istanbul on May 10.
The idea to open diplomatic relations between the nations was first proposed by Paet in early April, with the government immediately jumping on the bandwagon.
"Establishing diplomatic relations with Somalia is connected to Estonia's participation in Atalanta, the European Union military operation for protecting ships in the vicinity of the Somali coast from pirate attacks," Paet explained.
According to the minister, Estonia is sending vessel protection units to ships sailing under the Somali flag within the framework of the Atalanta operation.
"Sending vessel protection teams requires the consent of the Somali government. The existence of diplomatic relations allows for direct communication with Somalia’s government and for the full participation of an Estonian unit in the Atalanta operation," Paet added.
Estonia currently has formal diplomatic ties with 169 countries.
Ingrid Teesalu