Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar makes first official visit to Somaliland

Israel's recognition of breakaway region has been met with global condemnation

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, right, with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Hargeisa on Tuesday. Photo: Gideon Saar / X

Gideon Saar, Israel's Foreign Minister, travelled to Somaliland on Tuesday on the first official visit since his country recognised the self-proclaimed republic last month.

Mr Saar arrived in the city of Hargeisa with a high-level delegation, Somaliland's Information Ministry said on X.

He said his visit was a message that “We are determined to vigorously advance relations between Israel and Somaliland.”

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Mr Saar said he held “substantive discussions” with President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi and senior members of his government “on the full range of our relations”.

“The mutual recognition and establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries are not directed against anyone. Our shared objective is to promote the mutual benefit of both nations and countries,” Mr Saar wrote on X.

Israel last month became the first country to recognise Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and sign an agreement to establish diplomatic ties.

Mr Abdullahi called it a move "serving the mutual interests of both nations and contributing positively to peace and stability in the Horn of Africa".

"Somaliland is a reliable and responsible partner, strategically positioned and committed to advancing regional and international peace, security, and constructive engagement," he said in a post on X on Tuesday.

Somalia has rejected Israel's recognition of the breakaway region as an “unlawful step” and described Mr Saar's visit as an “unauthorised incursion”.

“Hargeisa forms an inalienable part of the internationally recognised territory of Somalia,” the Somali Foreign Ministry said.

“This action constitutes a serious violation of Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political unity, and represents an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign member state of the United Nations.”

In his post on X, Mr Saar said: “Only Israel will decide whom it recognises and with whom it maintains diplomatic relations.”

He said Mr Abdullahi had accepted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's invitation to pay an official visit to Israel.

After Israel announced its recognition of Somaliland on December 26, Mr Saar said the two countries had agreed to establish “full diplomatic ties, which will include the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies”.

Israel's move has been widely condemned, including by most members of the UN Security Council at a special session held on December 29.

Several Arab states, as well as Turkey, Iran, Somalia and Djibouti, issued joint statement expressing unequivocal rejection of the official recognition, “given the serious repercussions of such an unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole, which also reflects Israel’s full and blatant disregard to international law”.

Attaining international recognition for Somaliland has been a priority for Mr Abdullahi since he took office in December 2024. The self-proclaimed republic on the Gulf of Aden has its own currency, passports and army. But since its unilateral declaration of independence in 1991, it has grappled with international isolation.

Lack of recognition has hampered the region's access to foreign loans, aid and investment, and it remains deeply impoverished.

Israel's recognition of Somaliland carries significant geopolitical implications, as it could entrench its presence closer to the heart of the Middle East, particularly near one of its main adversaries, the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen.