Saturday December 26, 2015
Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (right) and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay (left), listen to speeches during the farewell party for Mr Kay held in Mogadishu, Somalia, on December 23, 2015. UN PHOTO | ILYAS AHMED
The president of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has said that the country is not a failed state and that it will soon recover from the ravages of war.
President Mohamud sad this while paying tribute to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay during a farewell luncheon in Mogadishu.
He added that Mr Kay had worked closely and tirelessly with the federal government in rebuilding Somalia during his two-and-a-half year tour of duty.
He praised Mr Kay for being instrumental in changing the perception of the international community about Somalia.
“I salute Ambassador Nicholas Kay for his bravery in convincing the UN to shift the offices and start operating in Somalia, making them accessible to the citizens,” President Mohamud noted.
A RECOVERING NATION
Quoting directly Mr Kay’s words, the head of state said: “Somalia is not a failed state anymore but a recovering fragile nation.”
Speaking at the luncheon, Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke said that a lot had been achieved during Mr Kay’s tenure, especially in the political process front.
“The country has made a lot of achievements from 2012 to date. Three years later, we established three other states in south central Somalia and the creation of the last one is about to start,” Mr Sharmarke said.
On the other hand, the coordinator of the Somali Women Leadership Initiative, Asha Siyad, thanked Mr Kay for his support to women in Somalia.
“You have always been on our side; it gave us courage and strength. You stood firm with us to request a 30 per cent women representation in the Federal Parliament and we will remain grateful for your unwavering support,” she said.
Mr Kay thanked the Somalia government, parliament, civil society, Amisom, the diplomatic corps, and his UN colleagues and expressed his optimism for Somalia’s recovery.
“Somalia is back. Somalia is not going to go away and backwards again. They can try to destroy you but each time they do, you build again, you build better, you build stronger. Somalia is back and back to stay,” he emphasised to a thunderous applause.