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Israel has become the first country to recognize Somaliland, located in Africa, as a sovereign state. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but since then, no country has officially recognized it as an independent or sovereign state; however, Israel’s recognition marks a landmark achievement for Somaliland.
Not only that, Israel and the Muslim-populated Somaliland have signed an agreement to establish full diplomatic relations, which will include opening an embassy and appointing an ambassador, according to the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar.
Sa’ar said the recognition came after a year of negotiations between the two countries, and he ordered the Israeli Foreign Ministry to immediately institutionalize relations between the two sides.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the recognition was “in the spirit” of the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements normalizing relations between Israel and most Arab states signed in 2020.
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It posted a video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking via video call with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, in which he invited him to visit Israel and described the friendship between the two countries as “historic.” In response to Netanyahu’s invitation, Abdullahi said he would be glad to come to Jerusalem as soon as possible.
However, the Muslim countries Egypt and Turkey are not happy with Israel’s move, which they said in a joint statement “aligns with its expansionist policy and its efforts to do everything to prevent the recognition of a Palestinian state and constitutes overt interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs.”
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