The Azerbaijani government mission, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev, visited Somalia, Report informs, citing Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

The visit aimed to enhance cooperation between Azerbaijan and Somalia across various fields including political, economic, humanitarian, and others, as well as to continue the high-level relations within international organizations.

As part of the visit, the Azerbaijani delegation met with several key Somali officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Dahir Shire Mohamed, Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Jama, Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development Mohamud Abdirahman (Beene-Beene), Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Farah Abdulkadir Mohamed and others. Additionally, a familiarization visit was organized to the Somalia representative office of the Turkish Maarif Foundation.

The meetings highlighted the intensified contacts between the countries in recent years, which have been crucial in discussing future cooperation prospects. Emphasis was placed on the potential for development in areas such as oil and gas, green energy, agriculture, fisheries, humanitarian aid, and education. The importance of establishing a bilateral legal and contractual framework was also underscored.

The visit included the first meeting of political consultations between the MFAs of Azerbaijan and Somalia. These consultations were led by Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev from Azerbaijan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar from Somalia. Discussions focused on bilateral political and economic issues, as well as cooperation within the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OIC, and other international organizations.

The government mission included representatives of the Ministries of Defense, Defense Industry, Energy, Science and Education, Economy, Agriculture of Azerbaijan, and the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani government mission included representatives from the Ministries of Defense, Defense Industry, Energy, Science and Education, Economy, Agriculture, and the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan.