In a moment charged with symbolism and optimism, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar arrived in Hargeisa today for a landmark joint press conference with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi Irro. This visit—the first by a high-ranking official from a UN member state since Israel became the world’s first country to formally recognize Somaliland’s independence on December 26, 2025—underscored the rapid transformation of bilateral relations into a full-fledged strategic partnership.
President Irro opened the event with a warm welcome, describing Sa’ar’s arrival as carrying “historic significance” and marking a pivotal step in turning political recognition into a “substantive, forward-looking, and strategic partnership.” He emphasized Somaliland’s commitment to cooperation in political, security, economic, and development domains, stressing that the relationship would be “practical, institutional, and results-oriented.” Irro assured full readiness to establish a Somaliland embassy in Israel and support a permanent Israeli diplomatic presence in Hargeisa, declaring today “a historical day we will put in our calendars.”
Foreign Minister Sa’ar echoed the sentiment, calling his visit to Hargeisa an “honor” and praising President Irro’s “visionary leadership” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisive role. He highlighted the December 26 agreement on mutual recognition and full diplomatic relations, including the swift appointment of ambassadors and opening of embassies. Sa’ar spoke of building an “enduring and warm friendship” not just between governments but between the peoples of both nations.
Key areas of cooperation dominated the discussion:
- Water and Agriculture: Israel pledged expertise in water management, a critical sector for Somaliland. A water expert has already surveyed resources, with plans for training Somaliland professionals in Israel and deploying Israeli experts on the ground.
- Health and Education: Sa’ar noted that 49 Somaliland children have received life-saving heart surgeries in Israel in recent years, expressing eagerness to expand medical and educational ties.
- Defense and Security: Both sides committed to a strategic partnership in defense.
Sa’ar also invoked shared history: Israel recognized Somaliland’s brief independence in 1960 and was the only nation to condemn the atrocities against its people at the UN during the 1980s civil war. Contrasting Somaliland with other entities, he declared it a “fully functioning country based on the principles of international law”—a stable democracy with peaceful power transitions, including the recent November 2024 elections. “Unlike ‘Palestine’, Somaliland is not a virtual state,” Sa’ar stated firmly, adding that Israel would not be swayed by criticism: “Nobody will determine for Israel who we recognize.”
He expressed hope that other nations would follow suit, citing a 2005 African Union report affirming Somaliland’s case for recognition, and welcomed Somaliland’s intention to join the Abraham Accords as a natural fit among democratic nations in challenging regions.
In a light-hearted closing exchange, President Irro accepted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s invitation for a state visit to Jerusalem, joking that a public announcement of Sa’ar’s visit might have drawn “more than two million people” to the streets. Sa’ar quipped about preparing security for the next time.
As the leaders concluded amid applause, the message was clear: This is not merely symbolic diplomacy but the start of tangible collaboration for stability, prosperity, and mutual growth. In a region often defined by conflict, the Somaliland-Israel partnership stands out as a bold beacon of possibility. God bless Somaliland. God bless Israel.
Please read the speeches below exactly as they were originally delivered:
Republic of Somaliland President HE Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi Irro’s speech;
It is with great pleasure and honor that I warmly welcome you to the Republic of Somaliland. Mr. Minister, your visit carries historic significance and marks an important milestone in the evolving relationship between the Republic of Somaliland and the State of Israel.
It reflects not only political recognition but also a shared commitment to transform that recognition into a substantive, forward-looking, and strategic partnership.
Somaliland values this partnership highly and approaches it with clarity of purpose and long-term vision. We are committed to building a strategic relationship with Israel that is mutually beneficial and grounded in cooperation across political, security, economic, and development domains. We see this partnership not as symbolic but as practical, institutional, and results-oriented—one that contributes to stability, prosperity, and shared interests.
Your presence here today instills confidence in the future of our relations.
It sends a strong message that Somaliland and Israel are ready to deepen engagement and move decisively toward the establishment of diplomatic infrastructure, including the opening of embassies.
From our side, I wish to assure you of our full readiness and political will to establish our embassy in Israel and to support a permanent and effective Israeli diplomatic presence in Somaliland.
Israel Foreign Minister’s speech;
It’s an honor to be in Hargeisa on this historic visit.
Thank you, Mr. President, for your personal invitation and gracious hospitality.
Over the past year, relations between Israel and Somaliland have taken shape.
I want to thank you for your close partnership and visionary leadership.
I also want to praise Prime Minister Netanyahu for his decision and leadership.
Mr. President, it is a historic journey. I held meetings with you and your team. We had an ongoing and extensive dialogue for many months.
The relations that we build are based on trust and mutual respect. Eventually, on December 26, Israel and Somaliland signed a historic agreement on mutual recognition and the establishment of full diplomatic relations.
We agreed on the mutual appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies. We will get that done soon.
We agreed to work together to promote relations between our countries for the sake of mutual prosperity.
We want to build an enduring and warm friendship not only between governments but also between the people of Somaliland and the people of Israel.
Since December 26, we’ve seen authentic joy on display in Somaliland and also in Israel. We are truly moved to play a part in Somaliland’s bold journey from independence to recognition.
Following my instructions, the foreign ministry is working hard to build our ties across a wide range of fields: economy, agriculture, and much more. We recognize that water supply is a key sector for Somaliland. Therefore, we’re glad to provide our assistance and expertise on this matter.
A water expert was already in Somaliland. He conducted a survey on the natural resources and means of delivery. In the coming months, we’ll bring local professionals from Somaliland’s water sector to Israel for training.
We’ll also send Israeli experts here to help implement the new capabilities. In recent years, 49 children from Somaliland have undergone life-saving heart surgery in Israel. We are eager to help in medicine too and also in education. We will also cooperate on defense and develop a strategic partnership.
Somaliland first gained its independence in 1960 from British colonial rule. Israel was then among the 35 countries to recognize an independent Somaliland. Later it united with Somalia under Italian rule to form a single federal state. But in the 80s, as we know, this teritory underwent a brutal civil war.
Israel was the only nation to condemn at the United Nations the horrific mass murder of 200,000 of your people. Then we stood by you as we stand by you today.
In 1991, following these atrocities, Somaliland decided to restore its independence. Unlike “Palestine”, Somaliland is not a virtual state. It’s a functioning state. Somaliland is a fully functioning country based on the principles of international law. Somaliland is and has been a stable democracy for nearly 35 years. It has democratic elections, most recently in November 2024, and peaceful transitions of power. It’s pro-Western and friendly to Israel.
Mr. President, Israel is truly honored to be the first UN member state to recognize the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. This is the moral thing to do and this is what we did. We hear the attacks, the criticism, the condemnations.
Nobody will determine for Israel who we recognize and who we maintain diplomatic relations with. I want to remind that the 2005 African Union fact-finding mission stated that Somaliland’s search for recognition is self-justified. It listed Somaliland’s constitution-defined borders and democratic character. We recognize the simple truth and the existing reality. We hope to see other nations soon follow suit and independent Somaliland rightfully deserves its place among the nations.
I welcome Somaliland’s intention to join the Abraham Accords. This is a natural connection between democratic countries both in challenging regions.
Mr. President, in our meeting, I restated Prime Minister Netanyahu’s invitation for you to come on a state visit to Israel. We hope to welcome you to Jerusalem very soon.
In the words of Somaliland’s national anthem, may your nation live in eternal peace. May these historic days and moments be the beginning of a close friendship between our nations for many years to come.
God bless Somaliland. God bless Israel.
President Irro-Thank you, Mr. Foreign Minister. I thank you very much. I declare that I have accepted the invitation of the Prime Minister. And the letter will come through the diplomatic channels also. I’m glad to say, I’m proud to say, I’m not shy of saying it, that we will open our embassy in Israel. We thank again the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister for signing the declaration and today, as I said, is a different day, is a historical day we will put in our calendars.
for you, Mr. Minister, as the first minister from a member of the United Nations who came here to Hargeisa. for the first time, and so Somaliland is a recognized country.
I’m sure that if we made it public, your coming to Hargeisa openly, you would have met more than two million people and they would be here, but maybe the next time we will do that.
Minister Gideon-I tell the security this is what will happen next time. So you should get prepared for that. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.
