Tel Aviv [Israel], December 27 (HBTV): Israel on Friday formally recognised Somaliland as an independent country, becoming the first nation to do so more than 30 years after the territory broke away from Somalia, according to a report by Times of Israel.
The declaration of mutual recognition was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on behalf of Israel, and by Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi for Somaliland. The breakaway region is located in a strategically significant part of the Horn of Africa along the Red Sea corridor.
Speaking to President Abdullahi over the phone, Netanyahu described the moment as historic and said the friendship between the two sides was seminal and historic. He said Israel now plans to expand cooperation with Somaliland across multiple sectors, including the economy, agriculture and social development.
In a post on X, Netanyahu said he congratulated the President of Somaliland and praised his leadership and commitment to promoting stability and peace, adding that he had invited Abdullahi to pay an official visit to Israel.
Later on Friday, Netanyahu’s office released a video of the phone conversation in which he informed Abdullahi about the decision in real time. Netanyahu told him that he was signing Israel’s official recognition of Somaliland, adding that the relationship would open up new economic opportunities. Abdullahi responded that he would visit Israel as soon as possible, according to an Israeli statement.
Netanyahu said the recognition aligns with Israel’s broader regional outreach and noted that the declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of former US President Donald Trump. The Abraham Accords, brokered in 2020, led to Israel establishing diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with Morocco and other countries joining later.
Somaliland has said it aspires to join the Abraham Accords framework. While no other country has formally recognised Somaliland so far, several nations, including the UK, Ethiopia, Turkey, the UAE, Denmark, Kenya and Taiwan, maintain informal diplomatic ties with the region.
Somaliland briefly gained independence in 1960 and was recognised by Israel and 35 other countries at the time before voluntarily uniting with Somalia. It declared separation again in 1991 after Somalia collapsed into civil war. Since then, Somaliland has functioned largely as a separate entity with its own government, currency and security forces, and has witnessed relatively stable governance and peaceful democratic transitions compared with the prolonged instability in Somalia. (ANI)