Taiwan reaches out to Somaliland with Covid-19 vaccine gift
- Island renews diplomatic push with delivery of its locally developed Medigen shots
- Taiwanese authorities have also donated millions of face masks and other goods around the world
As part of the island’s renewed pandemic diplomacy push, Taiwan has donated millions of face masks and other goods around the world in what the government has called the “Taiwan can help, Taiwan is helping” programme.
The programme is to show the island is a responsible member of the international community, despite being locked out of most global bodies because of Beijing’s objections.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the vaccine doses, made by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, arrived in Hargeisa on Sunday and were met at the airport by Somaliland Health Minister Hassan Mohamed Ali Gafadhi and Taiwan’s de facto ambassador there, Allen Lou.
“On the basis of the shared values of democracy and freedom between Taiwan and Somaliland, our country’s government will continue to steadily strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two sides and jointly fight the global pandemic and defend universal values,” the ministry said.
Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war.