TAIPEI (SD) — Somaliland’s Minister of Interior and Security, Abdalle Mohamed Arab, has held a high-level meeting with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te at the Presidential Palace in Taipei, as Somaliland and Taiwan seek to expand cooperation in security, public safety and disaster management.

The meeting took place during Minister Arab’s working visit to Taiwan, where he is leading a Somaliland delegation participating in the launch of the World Alliance for Disaster Management (WADM). Somaliland joined the Taiwan-led alliance as a founding member on September 19, alongside Taiwan and 11 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. The initiative aims to promote cooperation in disaster preparedness, emergency response, information sharing, and joint training.

According to the Somaliland account of the meeting, Arab and his delegation discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, with particular attention to security, public safety, natural-disaster preparedness and institutional cooperation. The Somaliland delegation emphasized the importance of international partnerships that can strengthen national institutions and improve the government’s capacity to protect the public.

President Lai also stressed the importance of further developing Taiwan’s relationship with Somaliland and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The meeting comes as security cooperation between Somaliland and Taiwan has broadened beyond traditional development programs. In August, Taiwan supported the establishment of a Red Sea Fusion Centre in Somaliland to strengthen maritime security and protect freedom of navigation along the Red Sea corridor. Somaliland Interior Minister Abdalle Mohamed Arab was among the senior officials present at the launch.

The two sides have also expanded cooperation through Somaliland’s coast guard. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in May that a joint agreement on coast guard cooperation signed in 2025 marked a new phase in bilateral security relations, including cooperation against smuggling and illegal fishing, maritime security and development of the blue economy.

Somaliland and Taiwan established representative offices in 2020 and have developed cooperation in areas including agriculture, healthcare, information and communications technology, education, humanitarian assistance, energy and infrastructure. Taiwan maintains a representative office in Hargeisa, while Somaliland operates a representative office in Taipei.

The latest meeting also comes amid increased diplomatic attention surrounding Somaliland’s relations with Taiwan. Somaliland has repeatedly asserted its right to establish international partnerships, while China has objected to Somaliland’s cooperation with Taiwan under Beijing’s “One China” policy. China has recently criticized Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” over his statements concerning Taiwan.

For Somaliland, the engagement in Taipei represents an effort to build practical international partnerships in areas directly connected to national security and public welfare. For Taiwan, closer cooperation with Somaliland provides another avenue for expanding international engagement and working with a partner positioned near major maritime routes linking the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

The relationship also has a wider geopolitical dimension. Somaliland’s partnership with Taiwan has drawn opposition from China, while Hargeisa has maintained that it has the right to choose its international partners. The expanding cooperation therefore places Somaliland increasingly within the wider strategic competition surrounding the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and Taiwan.