UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. You have rejected additional cookies. This is a British tradition. The Queen was born in , so this year she is I realise that if she came from Erigavo, she might still be considered young.
But in Britain she is our oldest ever monarch. She was crowned in , and has been Queen for over 67 years. She has reigned over the end of our Empire; Britain joining the EU in ; and, in , voting to leave it again. In my room, I have a poster. It must date from the s. The poster promotes Somalia as a tourist destination. It features a rather contented looking cheetah. I have it there for a reason. It reminds me not to think of Somalia as a place of troubles, but as a place of unspoiled beaches and of rock art, of poets, of frankincense, of camels and of spicy tea.
It reminds me that the sad events of the last few decades do not β must not β define Somalia. Somalia was not like that then and will not be in future.
For more than half the time that the Queen has been on the throne, Somalia was the land on the poster. Britain is a medium sized country a long way away. But I am proud of what we achieve here. Some here might say that we are at times challenging partners. I am proud that we gave shelter to tens of thousands of Somalis during the difficult times and are now helping them to come back with their skills and their ideas, to build a better future.
Prime Minister, some of them work in your office and are here today. Please know how much your government and your leadership inspires them, but also how much hope they have invested and how disappointed they will be if we fail to live up to our ideals. I am proud we are your development partners. We have championed the cause of debt relief, now within reach. We reach 3. We helped lead the response to the drought, and were the first to surge funds again this year.
