UN General Assembly
1979

9. The commitment of my Government to follow the objectives of national unity, equality and peace, strengthened by our will to remain neutral in our foreign relations, is a corner-stone of our policy, not only in order to maintain and preserve our sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, but also to make more harmonious our hard-won independence in a genuine spirit of co-operation and understanding with all nations. The young Republic of Djibouti has firmly decided to build the foundations of its economic development. 10. In acceding to international sovereignty on 27 June 1977, my country found itself confronted by various economic and financial difficulties, including, among others, the serious reduction in harbour and rail activities, our principal source of revenue. Apart from those difficulties, my country is particularly affected by the rapid increase in the prices of raw materials and manufactured goods.