MOGADISHU: Ten days after Israel officially recognized the self-declared republic as an independent and sovereign state, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar traveled to Somaliland on Tuesday, a journey that Somalia condemned.
Only Israel has officially acknowledged Somaliland’s intention to secede from Somalia, which called Saar’s visit a “serious violation” of its sovereignty and called Israel’s recognition decision a unlawful step. Saar said in a statement on X that he had discussed “the full range of relations” with Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, the president of Somaliland, in the capital city of Hargeisa.
Saar posted pictures of himself with the Somaliland leader at the presidential palace on X along with the message, “We are determined to advance relations between Israel and Somaliland vigorously.
Saar was in charge of a high-level delegation, according to a statement made earlier on X by Somaliland’s media ministry. Before meeting with the president, a senior Somaliland official told Reuters that the Israeli foreign minister was anticipated to talk about measures to strengthen bilateral ties, but it provided no other information.
According to Saar, Abdullahi accepted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offer to visit Israel formally. Last month, Abdullahi declared that Somaliland would join the Abraham Accords, a 2020 agreement mediated by Washington that saw Bahrain and the UAE, a close ally of Somaliland, establish relations with Israel.
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