United Nations, March 11 (IANS) India has told the UN it is committed to cooperating with the transitional government in Somalia and at working towards peace and reconstruction in the country.

Hardeep Singh Puri, India's permanent representative to the UN, said this Thursday while addressing an open debate of the UN Security Council on the current situation in Somalia, Xinhua reported.

India will continue to work with Somali authorities and support the work of the African Union and the Security Council in a constructive manner, he said.

Puri said India has always appreciated the achievements of the transitional government and reiterated that his country will examine ways of intensifying the cooperation and in dealing with piracy.

India and Somalia are linked by two millennia of shared history and culture, he said. As Somalia fell into difficult circumstances, India contributed significant numbers of peacekeepers and naval and air assets.

"Peace and security issues confronting Somalia as well as the immediate and greater region surrounding the country are matters that concern to us all," he said.