Somaliland was the first in the world to recognize Israel as an independent state.
Somalia on Tuesday sharply criticized the visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to the breakaway region of Somaliland, which Israel was the first country in the world to recognize as an independent state in December. This was reported by the DPA agency, writes TASR.
The Israeli delegation led by Saar was received by high-ranking Somaliland officials in the city of Hargeisa on Tuesday. According to the media, the head of Israeli diplomacy also met with the local president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.
Somaliland is a former British protectorate and unilaterally declared independence from Somalia following the start of the country’s civil war in 1991. Strategically located on the border between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, its port of Berbera provides access to some of the busiest sea routes in the world.
The Israeli minister’s trip to the region on Tuesday angered the government in Mogadishu. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Somaliland is an integral part of Somalia and that the visit seriously undermines the sovereignty and political unity of the state. According to the department, this is also an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Somalia.
According to his office, Saar previously said that no one would determine who Israel recognizes as a state. The head of Israeli diplomacy described Somaliland as a functional state and a stable democracy. Israel and Somaliland will soon open mutual embassies, according to DPA. In addition, in a speech in Hargeisa, Saar criticized that many countries recognize the statehood of Palestine.
A Somaliland government source and a regional diplomat, according to Reuters, said that Israel’s move to recognize Somaliland is also being prepared by other countries.
