Somalia denies recognising northern Cyprus as an independent country

Mogadishu, Somalia. Somalia’s foreign ministry has denied recognising northern Cyprus as an independent country after a now deleted social media post by Parliament Speaker Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur.

Foreign ministry statement

The ministry said Somalia’s position on the Cyprus issue remained unchanged and continued to be guided by the United Nations Charter and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

It reaffirmed its respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, in accordance with international law.

The ministry said Nur’s referenced personal communication did not reflect and should not be interpreted as a change in Somalia’s foreign policy.

“It does not constitute recognition of any separate entity in the northern part of Cyprus, and no decision has been taken by the federal government to alter its established position,” it said.

Call for negotiated settlement

Somalia reiterated its support for a peaceful, negotiated and lasting settlement of the Cyprus issue under United Nations auspices, in line with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.

It said Somalia remained committed to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Deleted social media post

Nur was elected Somalia’s parliament speaker on August 10. He had previously served as ports minister, defence minister and justice minister.

In the deleted post, Nur thanked Ziya Ozturkler, described as the “speaker of the assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, for congratulating him on his election.

“I deeply appreciate this thoughtful gesture,” Nur wrote.