Somaliland Leader: We Expect to Conclude a Trade Agreement with Israel
The leader of the Somaliland region, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, told Reuters that he expects to soon reach a trade agreement with Israel, which is considered the first country in the world to recognize the region.
In his video interview with Reuters from the United Arab Emirates, where he participated in the World Government Summit, Abdullahi explained that no bilateral economic agreement with Israel has been reached yet, but Somaliland expects to sign a partnership agreement in the coming phase: “At present, there is no trade with Israel or investments from them. But we are 100% hopeful for their investments and trade, and we hope to connect with Israeli businesspeople and the Israeli government soon.”
He continued: “Somaliland is very rich in resources, including minerals, oil, gas, marine resources, agriculture, energy, and other sectors. We have meat, fish, and minerals, and they need them. So trade can start from these key sectors. There are no limits to our ambitions.”
In this context, Abdullahi indicated that the region is seeking in return to obtain various types of Israeli technology.
He also expressed his gratitude to Israel for being “the first country to recognize Somaliland.” While the region expressed hope for future military cooperation with Israel, he confirmed that establishing Israeli military bases has not been discussed yet.
Additionally, he announced that he received an invitation from Netanyahu to visit Israel without specifying the date of the visit, noting that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited the region last month.
On this matter, he confirmed that he expects other United Nations member states to eventually follow Israel’s lead, including the United States, considering that the recognition issue may take time.
He concluded by affirming that he has a good working relationship with the United States, expressing his belief that “President Donald Trump will recognize Somaliland someday”.
