Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu announced today the official recognition of the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Sa'ar, and the President of the Republic of Somaliland signed a joint and mutual declaration.

Prime Minister Netanyahu congratulated the President of Somaliland, Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdallah, and praised his leadership and commitment to promoting stability and peace. The Prime Minister invited the President to pay an official visit to Israel.

The President thanked Prime Minister Netanyahu for his historic declaration and expressed appreciation for the Prime Minister’s achievements in fighting terrorism and advancing regional peace.

The Prime Minister thanked Foreign Minister Sa’ar, the Head of Mossad David Barnea and the Mossad, for their contribution to today's development and wishes the people of Somaliland success, prosperity, and freedom.

Netanyahu said the declaration “is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of President Trump.”

The 2020 accords were brokered by Trump’s first administration and included Israel formalising diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with other countries joining later.

In doing so, Israel becomes the first country to recognize the breakaway region.

The State of Israel plans to immediately expand its relations with the Republic of Somaliland through extensive cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology, and economy.

Somaliland broke ties with Somalia in 1991, and the region has sought international recognition as an independent state since then.

But no foreign government recognized its sovereignty until this afternoon.

Still, Somaliland remains more stable than Somalia, and some analysts say that the breakaway state has a strong case for independence.