Somalia’s newly elected Speaker of the House of the People, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Jama, has received congratulatory messages from parliamentary leaders in the region and international institutions, days after his election in Mogadishu.
Jama, who previously served as Somalia’s Minister of Ports and Marine Transport, won 142 votes in Monday’s vote.
In his victory remarks and subsequent address to parliament, Jama pledged to strengthen Somalia’s parliamentary diplomacy and expand partnerships between the House of the People and legislatures and international parliamentary bodies abroad.
He said his diplomatic experience would help broaden exchanges and cooperation between Somalia’s parliament and foreign legislatures, as the country seeks to deepen its international partnerships.
Congratulatory messages
The first messages of congratulations came from neighboring Djibouti. On August 10, Jama spoke by telephone with Dileita Mohamed Dileita, speaker of Djibouti’s National Assembly, who congratulated him on his election.
Jama thanked his Djiboutian counterpart for the warm message and described the relationship between Somalia and Djibouti as one rooted in longstanding ties and close relations.
The diplomatic outreach continued on August 11, when Jama held talks with Numan Kurtulmuş, speaker of Türkiye’s Grand National Assembly.
Kurtulmuş formally conveyed his congratulations to Jama on his election. They discussed strengthening relations between their respective parliaments and expanding cooperation between Somalia and Türkiye.
Jama thanked Kurtulmuş for the message and welcomed what he described as the close fraternal relationship between Somalia and Türkiye.
Also on August 11, Mohamed Ahmed Al Yamahi, president of the Arab Parliament, sent a congratulatory message to Jama on his election.
Ties with Arab parliament
The two sides discussed strengthening ties between the Arab Parliament and Somalia’s House of the People, including greater coordination and cooperation on issues of mutual interest.
Jama expressed his appreciation for the Arab Parliament president’s congratulations and reaffirmed Somalia’s readiness to strengthen parliamentary cooperation at regional and international levels.
The messages of support come as Jama begins his tenure with a pledge to make parliamentary diplomacy a more prominent part of Somalia’s international engagement.
His election also marks the appointment of a speaker with experience in government and diplomacy, as Somalia’s parliament seeks to strengthen institutional ties with neighbouring countries, regional organisations and legislatures around the world.
