MOGADISHU, Somalia, February 26, 2015 (Garowe Online)-Somaliland’s separatist administration has confirmed delay in talks with Somalia Federal Government on Thursday, Garowe Online reports.

Somaliland said in a statement that the talks will kick off in the Turkish city of Istanbul on March 1, unveiling shift from the date scheduled for the dialogue in the course of Djibouti meeting.

Yesterday, negotiating teams representing UN-backed central government in Mogadishu and breakaway Somaliland region left for Turkey-brokered negotiations.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Somaliland leader Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Siilaanyo) agreed on 7-point deal under the auspices of Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh on December 21.

The two sides emphasized the significance of the talks, saying remarks and actions inconsistent with the dialogue process should be refrained at all costs.

Somaliland declared its independence from the rest of the country as de facto sovereign state in 1991 but it has not been recognized internationally yet. 

GAROWE ONLINE