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MANILA, Philippines?A high-level delegation from Somalia will be in Manila from Dec. 21 to 23 to meet with Philippine Coast Guard officials in an effort to boost the African country?s anti-piracy efforts, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Sunday.
The delegation will be led by Somali Deputy Prime Minister Abdurahman Aden Ibrahim Ibbi, with Somali Ambassador to Indonesia Mohamud Olow Barow and Somali Navy Commander Admiral Farah Ahmed Omar as members.
In a statement, the DFA said the Somali officials were invited by the Philippine government to discuss efforts to curb piracy off the coast of Somalia, where numerous international vessels have been hijacked by Somali pirates in recent years.
As the supplier of about a third of the world?s shipping manpower, the Philippines is directly affected by the scourge of piracy.
This is the first visit to the Philippines of a ranking Somali official since the official visit in January 1979 of Somali Foreign Minister Abdurahman Jama Barre.
Ibbi, who is also the minister of fisheries and marine resources of Somalia, is scheduled to meet with officials of the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Civil Service Commission.
Foreign Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo will host a luncheon in honor of the Somali deputy prime minister.
The visit is an offshoot of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?s meeting with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on the sidelines of the African Union Special Summit in Tripoli, Libya, on Aug. 31 this year.
