Foreign Ministry recognises 'Puntland'

In the rescue operation of the Sri Lankan crew on board an oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now evidently recognises self-declared autonomous States.

In a media statement on Friday, the ministry said it was pleased to announce that the vessel “Aris 13” hijacked by pirates was released with its eight Sri Lankan crew unharmed and without ransom payment and expressed deep appreciation on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka to the “President of Puntland, the semi-autonomous region of Somalia, and his Chief of Staff Abdinasir Sofe” who cooperated and collaborated in this regard.

“This task,” the statement said, “would not have been made possible without their unstinted and active effort.” Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva also thanked “the President of Puntland” and his Chief of Staff. One of the demands of the pirates was “recognition” by the Government.

The problem is that Puntland is widely recognised as a self-declared autonomous State of 2.4 million people. Puntland declared itself autonomous in 1998, in the aftermath of the Somali civil war. It is known to have little international relations apart from development-based associations with countries such as Britain and Djibouti.