Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has moved to head off speculation over its position on Cyprus, insisting that its foreign policy remains unchanged after the Speaker of the House of the People, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, thanked his counterpart in Northern Cyprus for congratulating him on his election.
The message was posted initially on the House of the People’s social media account before being removed. It is still available on Nur’s personal X account.
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“I extend my sincere thanks to H.E. Dr. Ziya Öztürkler, Speaker of the Assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, for his kind congratulations on my election as Speaker of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia,” Nur wrote.
Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later issued a statement stressing that the exchange did not signal a shift in the country’s established foreign policy.
“The Federal Republic of Somalia wishes to clarify, following recent references in public discussion, that its position on the Cyprus issue remains unchanged and continues to be guided by the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,” the ministry said.
The ministry reaffirmed Somalia’s respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, referring specifically to UN Security Council resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984).
It said the speaker’s personal message “does not reflect, and shall not be interpreted as, any change” in Somalia’s foreign policy.
The ministry further clarified that the communication did not amount to recognition of a separate entity in Northern Cyprus, adding that the federal government had made no decision to revise its longstanding position.
Somalia also reiterated its support for a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the Cyprus dispute under UN auspices, in line with international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions.
The clarification comes against the backdrop of Somalia’s diplomatic ties with Turkey, a strong supporter of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, while the international community broadly recognizes the Republic of Cyprus as the island’s sovereign state.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is a self-declared state that controls the northern third of Cyprus. It was established in 1983, almost a decade after Turkey’s 1974 military intervention divided the island. Turkey remains the only country to recognize the TRNC as an independent state.
