Egyptian-Somali Relations

Relations between the territories of modern Egypt and Somalia arose no earlier than the 16th century BC. e. ^[1] . The Egyptian expedition went to the country of Punt during the reign of the pharaoh of the 18th Hatshepsut dynasty ^[2] . According to the Roman historian Pliny the Elder , the Egyptian pharaoh Sesostris also led his troops to the port of Isis on the way to the northeastern market city of Mosilon , located next to the current city of Bosaso ^{[3] [4]} .

The 1st century includes data on commercial trade between the Somali coast and Roman Egypt ^[5] . In the Middle Ages and in the early modern period, various Somali sultanates also maintained close relations with their neighbors in Egypt. The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta reported that the Mogadishu Sultanate exported its goods to cities in the Nile Valley ^{[6] [7]} .

During the subsequent colonial period, Egypt and Somalia contacted the United Nations delegate to Somalia, Kamal El-Din Salah, who supported the territorial integrity of the Somali territories. After Somalia gained independence in 1960, Egypt was one of the first states to recognize it. Subsequently, he invested heavily in the education sector. In 1969, Egypt and Somalia became founding members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) ^[1] .

After the outbreak of the civil war in Somalia in 1991, Egypt did not stop diplomatic relations with the Transitional National Government and its successor, the Transitional Federal Government , although it closed its embassy in Mogadishu. Nevertheless, Egypt provided assistance to Somalia to initiate the peace process. Within the framework of the international contact group, Egyptian authorities participated in various international summits in support of the peace process in Somalia, including the Khartoum Conference in 2006, the Djibouti Conference in 2008 and the Cairo Conference in 2010 ^{[1] [8]} .

The governments of Egypt and Somalia are in close cooperation for development through the League of Arab States and the Egyptian Technical Cooperation Fund with Africa . In cooperation with the Somali Institute of Diplomatic Studies, the Egyptian authorities also in 2010 organized training for work in public authorities of Somalia ^[1] .

In June 2013, Egyptian Ministry of Defense staff arrived in Mogadishu to help rebuild the Ministry of National Defense building. According to the commander of the Somali fleet, Admiral Farah Kare , the Egyptian delegation consisted of experienced engineers who quickly and quickly designed and built the new headquarters of the Somali Army ^[9] .

In October 2014, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia, Abdirahman Duelle Beil, met with the Egyptian Chargé d'Affaires of Somalia, Mohamed Mandur, who assured the Somali government of providing support to the federal government ’s initiatives for post-conflict reconstruction and strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries. According to Beyl, Egypt was a longtime ally and current partner of the Somali government ^[10] .

In November 2014, Beil and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud met in Mogadishu with the new Egyptian Ambassador to Somalia, Moulid Ismail. At an official meeting, Ismail assured that his administration would double financial assistance to Somalia in order to develop the education system ^[11] .

The federal government of Somalia maintains an embassy in Cairo. ^[12] Since November 21, 2015, the diplomatic mission is led by Ambassador Abdullah Hassan Mahmoud ^[13] .

The Egyptian government announced that it plans to open its embassy in Mogadishu, closed at the start of the Civil War ^[14] . In November 2014, Mawlid Ismail was appointed Egypt's first ambassador to Somalia. ^[11]

• Somalia's foreign policy
• Egypt Foreign Policy

• Arab Republic of Egypt Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Somalia