HARGEISA (Kaab TV) – Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed (Irro) said that Israel and Denmark were the only countries to formally respond after Somaliland sent letters to all United Nations member states seeking international recognition.
Speaking during Somaliland’s June 26 Independence Day celebrations on Thursday night, President Cirro said Israel informed Somaliland that it was prepared to recognize its sovereignty, while Denmark commended Somaliland’s progress in governance, peace, and development but stated that it was not in a position to grant recognition at this time.
According to President Cirro, his recent visit to Israel reinforced what he described as Israel’s commitment to recognizing Somaliland. He said his delegation received full state honors during the visit and signed a preliminary cooperation agreement covering key sectors, including security, agriculture, water management, and healthcare.
Cirro noted that cooperation in the water sector has already begun, revealing that 25 Somaliland engineers have completed training in Israel while another group of 25 engineers is currently undergoing similar training. He said the initiative is intended to strengthen Somaliland’s technical capacity in water resource management and infrastructure development.
The Somaliland leader also highlighted growing economic interest from Israeli businesses, stating that more than 1,000 Israeli companies had requested meetings with the Somaliland delegation during the visit. However, he said Israel’s Minister of Investment limited the engagements to 100 companies due to time constraints, describing the level of interest as a strong indication of investor confidence in Somaliland’s economic potential.
He further announced that the Speaker of Somaliland’s House of Representatives is expected to visit Israel in the near future following an official invitation from the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, a move he said would help strengthen parliamentary and diplomatic relations between the two sides.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in May 1991 following the collapse of Somalia’s central government. Although it has maintained its own government, security institutions, currency, and democratic electoral processes for more than three decades, it has not received widespread international recognition as a sovereign state. The Federal Government of Somalia continues to regard Somaliland as an integral part of Somalia and opposes any unilateral recognition of its independence.
President Cirro’s remarks come amid intensified diplomatic efforts by Somaliland to expand its international partnerships and seek formal recognition, an objective that has remained at the center of its foreign policy for more than three decades. Neither Israel nor Denmark has publicly issued statements confirming the recognition-related claims made by the Somaliland president.