Dispute over the Horn of Africa. Israel is the first to recognize Somaliland. Strong opposition from Turkey, Egypt and Somalia

Israel became the first country in the world on Friday to recognize the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland as an independent state. The foreign ministers of Somalia, Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti expressed opposition to this act.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted by Reuters, said that Israel would seek cooperation with Somaliland in the fields of agriculture, health, technology and economy.

In a statement, he congratulated Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi and invited him to visit Israel.

Netanyahu noted that dThe declaration of the Israeli government “is consistent with the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed on the initiative of President (US Donald) Trump”. Agreements negotiated in 2020 included formalizing Israel's diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain; other countries later joined them.

On Friday, the foreign ministers of Somalia, Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti condemned Israel's recognition of Somaliland. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ministers “underlined their full support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia.”

Somaliland is a territory located on the Gulf of Aden in northern Somalia in eastern Africa. After gaining independence from Britain in 1960, it united with Somalia, which had previously been administered by Italy. Somaliland broke with the Somali government in Mogadishu in 1991 and has since sought international recognition of its independence, which Somalia has opposed. (PAP)

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