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What’s behind #Somalia-#Saudi Arabia #military deal?
Somalia’s defense minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, hailed a new chapter in defence cooperation when he announced on X that he and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid Bin Salman had signed a military deal in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Exact details were not released, but the memorandum of understanding “strengthens defense and military cooperation between the two countries, and includes multiple areas of common interest,” according to the Somali Ministry of Defence.
Separately, Prince Khalid Bin Salman said on X: “We reviewed topics related to the future of security and defense industry, and recognized the opportunities.” His statement came after meeting defense officials from Somalia, Slovakia, Malaysia and South Korea.
Somalia’s military agreement with Saudi Arabia comes weeks after Israel announced it would recognize Somaliland, a northern, breakaway region of Somalia, as an independent state. Somalia has firmly rejected Israel’s move, saying it interferes with Somalia’s domestic affairs.
Last month, the Somali state news agency reported that Somalia has signed a defense pact with Qatar also aimed at “strengthening military ties and security collaboration.”
