‘Israeli’ Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. (File photo: AFP)
‘Israeli’ FM visits Somaliland after official recognition
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- ‘Israeli’ Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar arrives in Somaliland for first official visit since recognition.
- Visit aims to boost political and strategic ties amid regional condemnation and Somali government opposition.
‘Israeli’ Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar arrived in Somaliland on Tuesday, marking the first official visit since ‘Israel’ recognized the breakaway region as independent in late December. The visit was reported by 'Israel' 24, citing an unnamed diplomatic source in Somaliland.
Sa’ar arrived in the capital Hargeisa in the morning and is expected to meet Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. The two leaders are scheduled to hold a joint press conference later in the day at the presidential palace.
Boosting political and strategic cooperation
The visit aims to strengthen effective political and strategic cooperation between ‘Israel’ and Somaliland. The ‘Israeli’ Foreign Ministry has not issued an immediate comment on the visit.
Controversy and regional backlash
On December 26, ‘Israel’ announced official recognition of Somaliland as an independent sovereign state, becoming the only country to do so. The move sparked broad regional condemnation, particularly from the Arab League, which deemed the recognition illegal and a threat to international peace and security, accusing ‘Israel’ of pursuing “rejected political, security, and economic agendas”.
The Somali government reaffirmed its commitment to national sovereignty and territorial integrity, rejecting ‘Israel’s’ recognition of northern Somaliland.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, functions as an independent administrative, political, and security entity but lacks international recognition, and the central Somali government has been unable to reassert control over the region.
