Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali met with his Palestinian counterpart, Varsen Aghabekian Shaheen, in Jeddah to coordinate a unified front against Israel's recent recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of an extraordinary session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), focused on what Mogadishu described as a "blatant violation" of its sovereignty following Israel's late-December decision to officially recognize the self-declared Republic of Somaliland.
"The two ministers held in-depth discussions on the illegitimate recognition by Israel," the Somali Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "They firmly rejected any action that undermines the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia."
The Palestinian minister reaffirmed the State of Palestine's full support for Somali unity, emphasizing that international law must remain the sole arbiter in such territorial disputes.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
The diplomatic push in Jeddah comes as Somalia seeks to isolate the Somaliland administration internationally. Tensions have reached a boiling point in the Horn of Africa as reports suggest Israel is mulling the establishment of a military base in the Somaliland port of Berbera to secure Red Sea shipping lanes against Houthi militants.
Somalia has utilized its current seat on the UN Security Council to lobby OIC members--including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait--to issue formal rejections of the Israeli move. The OIC concluded its session by adopting a resolution reiterating that Somaliland remains an integral part of Somalia under international law.
