President: Somalia needs to strengthen society resilience

Visiting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said here Friday that he determined to enhance the resilience of his country through domestic cooperation and international assistance. The president made the remarks during a special session on Somalia under the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) that will officially kick off Saturday. He said that Somalia needs reconstruction and development, rather than short-term assistance, adding Somalia should be more stable in governance, politics and economy, rather than a threat to neighboring countries. The Somali leader said his country will also focus on establishing the rule of law, developing agriculture, providing public services to Somali people and attracting more overseas direct investments in the country. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan will support the development of Somalia in the areas of domestic economy, social security and the countries industries. Mohamud was elected as Somali president in September 2009 by a landslide victory, putting an end to long drawn transitional period in the country.