His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today said Somalia was making "great strides" towards peace and security as he attended the opening of the African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa. The President said: "In this summit Somalia is committed to achieving its interests, especially in the area of security. With every year that passes our journey out of the darkness becomes more real for all Somali citizens. We are making great strides and we must continue until we achieve our dream of a safe and prosperous Somalia.”

"To my fellow Africans, let me say Somalia is determined to work towards Agenda 2063 and achieve tangible results in security, good governance, justice and economic development. That is how we as African leaders will transform this great continent.”

The President is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Abdirahman Dualle Beileh, Minister of Defence H.E. General Mohammed Sheikh Hassan, Minister of Interior and Federalism H.E. Abdullahi Godah Barre, Somalia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia H.E. Ahmed Abdisalan Adan, and senior presidential advisors.

The AU summit will conclude tomorrow, and the President is expected to have bilateral meetings with a number of leaders to discuss issues of mutual interest, especially security.

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