30.12.2025 18:00
Following Israel's decision to recognize Somaliland, which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia, reactions continue in the country; the President and Foreign Minister of Somalia have arrived in Turkey. While Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with President Erdoğan at the Dolmabahçe Working Office, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also held a meeting with Somali Foreign Minister Abdulsalam Abdi Ali.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the Dolmabahçe Working Office.
While protests were held in Somalia following Israel becoming the first state to recognize Somaliland as a country, the Somali President visited Turkey.
MET WITH ERDOĞAN
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the Dolmabahçe Working Office. President Erdoğan welcomed his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud with an official ceremony. The two leaders are expected to hold a joint press conference after the meeting.
THEY ALSO MET WITH HAKAN FIDAN
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also met with Somali Foreign Minister Abdusalam Abdi Ali. According to a post made on the social media account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the US-based X platform, Fidan met with Somali Foreign Minister Ali in Istanbul.
ISRAEL, THE ONLY COUNTRY RECOGNIZING SOMALILAND
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on December 26 that they recognized the Somaliland region as an "independent and sovereign state." With this decision, Israel became the only country to recognize Somaliland.
Somaliland declared its unilateral separation from Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized as an independent state by the international community.
Somalia, on the other hand, views Somaliland as an inseparable part of the country and emphasizes that all international agreements regarding the region are solely under the authority of the Mogadishu administration.
PROTESTS IN SOMALIA
Following Israel's recognition of Somaliland, hundreds of people held protests in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Protesters, chanting slogans condemning Israel's decision, emphasized Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, while shouting "Somalia is indivisible" and "Somaliland is Somalia."