EU Pledges 650mln Euros to Somalia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The European Union is pledging 650 million euros to Somalia for 2013-16, said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
"Somalia has made important progress this year," Barroso said after talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday, adding however that "problems and challenges remain."
"This funding will contribute to all peace- and state-building goals," said EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, adding that the bloc would additionally continue to fund the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
International donors began work on a "New Deal" for Somalia to drive its economic and political recovery after two decades of bloody civil war, Al Jazeera reported.
Some 50 high-level delegations from Africa, Europe and the Persian Gulf were attending the one-day meeting in Brussels, along with aid groups and global finance institutions.
The New Deal Compact, to be approved on Monday, sets out the government priorities and outlines future international support.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said he was "very grateful" for all the effort made on behalf of his country, highlighting four priorities among the many tasks ahead -- security, legal reform, public finances and economic recovery.
