ISTANBUL 

Somali’s prime minister on Wednesday dismissed US President Donald Trump’s derogatory comments about Somalia and Somali immigrants in the US, according to local media.

Trump has made negative remarks about many countries, Hamza Abdi Barre said at an innovation summit, adding that it is better not to respond but instead “simply move on,” website Raxanreeb reported.

"Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars, billions every year, billions of dollars. And they contribute nothing," Trump said at a Cabinet meeting, referring to the Midwestern state of Minnesota, where there is a large Somali American population.

"I don't want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don't want them in our country. I could say that about other countries too … We don't want them," he added.

He also said: “We could go one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.”

Since his successful 2016 run for president, Trump has a long record of criticizing immigrants to the US, especially from some countries, and suggesting they are largely made up of criminals.

Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, praised the local Somalis, accusing Trump of “demonizing an entire group of people who came here, fleeing civil war, and created a vibrant community that makes Minnesota and this country better.”

Ali Omar, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, said on Tuesday that it has become “too easy” for some to use Somalia as a “scapegoat or distraction from their own failures.”

“This narrative is not only false, it is an insult to our resilience and sacrifice,” he said, calling on Somalis to “stand united, protect our dignity, and show the world that we are no pawn in anyone.”