Gambia has refused to join Somaliland’s push for international recognition, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified.
Momodou Tangara, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the West African country, made this announcement as reported by Freedom Newspaper.
According to quotes attributed to Momodou that appeared in the Freedom Newspaper, he said Gambia would not be taking part in what he called “illegitimate diplomacy.”
The news comes at a time when Somaliland has attracted Taiwan’s support for the international recognition that it has sought for decades.
Ironically, Gambia officially recognized Taiwan as an independent country in 1996 though the country’s former leader, President Yahya Jammeh, reversed this decision in 2013.
China has hit back at the growing rapport between Taiwan and Somaliland saying that the former remains part of its territory and warning other nations against recognizing it.