The Finnish government has denied a post on social media that it is considering direct cooperation with Somaliland and will campaign for Somaliland’s recognition.
“The post circulating on X-site claiming to have originated in Finland is false,” said an official statement released by the Finnish Embassy in Somalia, adding that the Finnish government respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Finland reaffirmed the importance of respecting the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia. It added that it encourages Somaliland and Somalia to engage in dialogue on their issues.
The Finnish government’s statement comes as the Somali government is conducting a broad campaign to gain full support for its rejection of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.
In addition to the Finnish government’s support for the unity of Somalia, the Somaliland government is making efforts to gain support from members of the Finnish Parliament, with more than 20 members of that parliament recently stating that they support the cause of recognizing Somaliland.
Somaliland has been seeking international recognition for 34 years, and was the first country to do so late last year, prompting opposition from many international and regional countries.
The Somali government has described the recognition of Somaliland as a violation of its sovereignty and has called on the Israeli government to immediately withdraw it.
