NEW YORK, USA – The outgoing Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon has receives credentials from the new Somali ambassador to the UN Yusuf Garad Omar in New York, Unites State of America on Friday.
Yusuf Garad Omar, a former BBC Somali service head was appointed the Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations by the country’s president HE Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in June.
Mr Omar will replace Elmi Du’alle, who has been Somalia’s envoy to the United Nations for ten years.
Yusuf Garad said UN chief Ban Ki-moon has reaffirmed United Nations commitments to Somalia in security, humanitarian affairs and state building, to help the horn of Africa country back on its feet.
United Nations (UN) did not abandoned Somalia. It has been on the ground, galvanizing regional and international efforts to stabilize the conflict-recovering country and restore law and order into Somalia.
Yusuf Garad Omar, who has run for presidency in 2012 is among several diplomats sent to UN, Russia and France by the federal government of Somalia, in a bid to re-establish international relations.
French president François Hollande has credentials of newly-appointed Somali Ambassador to Paris Ali Sharif Ahmed, while Russian president Vladimir Putin received letters of credential from Somali ambassador to Moscow Abdullahi Mohamed Warsame.
Despite security challenges, the term-ended federal government of Somalia has made a remarkable progress in international relations over the past 4 years.
The country is voting in historic polls for lower house chamber of next parliament which is in progress in the capitals of the regional states. The upcoming lawmakers will decide on new president on Nov 30.
The sitting President Hassan Sheik Mohamud whose 4-year-term mandate expired on 10 September, 2016 is running for president and seeking second term in office, facing his predecessor Sheikh Sharif.
