Israel officially recognized the breakaway region of Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state“, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reported, quoted by world agencies, BTA reports.
With this, Israel becomes the first country in the world to take such a step.
A joint declaration was signed by Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. The document states that the recognition “is in line with the spirit of the Abraham Accords“ initiated by US President Donald Trump.
Israel plans to immediately strengthen its relations with the Republic of Somaliland through broad cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology and economics.
Somaliland is located in the northwestern part of Somalia on the Red Sea coast. In 1991, the region unilaterally declared independence, but has not yet received international recognition.