Israel has become the first nation in the world to formally recognise Somaliland, ending the breakaway region’s three-decade quest for international legitimacy.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israel and Somaliland had signed a joint declaration establishing full diplomatic relations, describing it as being “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords” signed under United States President Donald Trump’s initiative.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe move marks a significant breakthrough for Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has failed to gain recognition from any United Nations member state. The region controls the northwestern portion of what was once the British Protectorate in northern Somalia.Somalia has never accepted Somaliland’s independence. A Somali government source told Al Jazeera that the cabinet was due to hold an urgent meeting on Friday evening to deliberate the government’s position on the issue.Somalia’s Foreign Minister, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, participated in a call with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkey, and Djibouti, during which they reiterated their support for Somalia’s unity.Netanyahu congratulated Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Abdirahman Cirro, during a video call, praising his “leadership and commitment to promoting stability and peace” and inviting him to visit Israel.Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the agreement followed a year of extensive dialogue between the two governments and was based on a joint decision by Netanyahu and Cirro to establish full ties, including the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies in both countries. Advertisement “We will work together to promote the relations between our countries and nations, regional stability and economic prosperit …
