OIC Foreign Ministers To Review Israel’s Diplomatic Recognition Of Somaliland As An Independent Country

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Ministers of Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) will meet in Jeddah on Saturday to discuss the legal, political and diplomatic implications of Israel’s illegal recognition of Somaliland–an autonomous region of Somalia–as an independent country.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have taken very strong position on the question of Somaliland and Israel’s attempt to establish diplomatic relations with this autonomous region of Somalia–an independent Muslim country in Eastern Africa, which is member of United Nations and OIC.

Pakistani would be represented in the conference by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled for Saturday.

The meeting will discuss the implications of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.

“The session will address the implications of Israel’s recognition of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday. The Deputy Foreign Minister will read out a statement stating Pakistan’s position on Somaliland

Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own currency, passport and army, but has struggled to win international recognition, amid fears of provoking Somalia and encouraging other separatist movements in Africa.

Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, with Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, saying his state will join the Abraham Accords.

Last week Israel Foreign Minister Gideon visited Somaliland and held discussions with government officials there. This was condemned by Somalia as an “unauthorised incursion”, after Israel recognised the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa.

A large number of Muslim nations including Pakistan issued a joint statement condemning the visit by the Israeli diplomat to Somaliland.

The joint statement, issued by the FO, was issued on behalf of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.

Last month, Pakistan joined 20 other nations and the OIC in rejecting Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, with a joint statement saying that Tel Aviv’s measure reflected its “full and blatant disregard for international law”.

The statement added that given the serious repercussions of such an unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole, the move also “reflects Israel’s full and blatant disregard for international law”.

Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is a self-declared sovereign state in the Horn of Africa. While internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia, it has operated as an independent de facto state since 1991.

Formerly the British Somaliland Protectorate, it briefly united with Italian Somaliland before declaring independence from Somalia in 1991. Somaliland is a unitary presidential republic with democratically elected leaders.

Its location near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait gives Somaliland strategic importance. Recent agreements with Ethiopia and recognition by Israel have heightened regional tensions. More details on Somaliland can be found on

On 26 December 2025, Israel became the first country and United Nations member state to officially] recognise Somaliland as an independent sovereign state.

While both Somaliland and Somalia share the broader Somali ethnicity and are predominantly Sunni Muslim, key differences lie in their history (British vs. Italian colonization), clan demographics (Isaaq dominant in Somaliland), governance (Somaliland’s relative stability), and historical grievances, leading to Somaliland’s self-declared independence due to marginalization by the central government in Mogadishu.

A significant factor in the OIC’s opposition is the perceived link between Israel’s move and plans for the Palestinian people. The OIC and several member nations (including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt) have explicitly rejected any attempt to use Somaliland as a destination for the forcible transfer or displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Rejection of Linkage: The organization categorically opposes linking diplomatic recognition to schemes that violate international resolutions regarding Palestine.