The Federal Government of Somalia has strongly confirmed that it maintains no diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran following reports of cooperation and parliamentary committee inquiry.
Somalia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abshir Omar Jama (Huruse), appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of the People, where he answered questions concerning the relationship between the Federal government and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Minister denied any existing diplomatic relations between the federal government of Somalia and Iran. He stated that the two countries have already broken their relationship, and there is no intention for any reconciliation.
"Currently, we do not have an embassy in Iran, and there are no diplomatic relations between Somalia and Iran. Therefore, we do not have any representatives from Somalia stationed in Iran, and those who were present at the time of breaking our diplomatic relations have been recalled," clarified Huruse, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia.
The committee further inquired about an official within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allegedly receiving a salary directly from the Iranian government's embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Minister further assured the committee that the government is determined to prevent any individual from exploiting Somalia's name for personal gains. He also added that anyone found to have made contact with a government that has no relationship with Somalia will be dealt with according to the constitution.
"If there are individuals who choose to travel to any other country, that is a personal matter, and the ministry has no involvement in such decisions. The government may not be aware of such actions, and anyone found to be engaged in unauthorized activities will be held accountable, and appropriate actions will be taken against them," he stated.
In recent days, various Parliamentary Committees have brought in different ministers for inquiries, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information, and the Ministry of Health.
A few weeks ago, chaos and misunderstanding erupted in the Federal Parliament of Somalia due to disagreements over a motion tabled on the agenda. One of the contentious items raised for debate was the proposal to bring Somali Ministers before the parliament, leading to division among members and resulting in uncertainty and loss of control over the parliamentary session.
