Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar made a historic diplomatic visit to Somaliland on Tuesday, marking the first official trip by an Israeli Cabinet minister to the territory and the latest move to strengthen bilateral ties following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s independence last month.

In the capital city of Hargeisa, Sa’ar met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, with both sides pledging to open embassies in the near future. Somaliland’s foreign ministry said the two delegations held “constructive discussions on strengthening bilateral relations,” focusing on cooperation in diplomacy, security, trade and investment, as well as regional peace and stability.

Sa’ar’s visit came after Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland since it announced its independence from Somalia in 1991, a move that elevated long-standing quiet engagement into an open diplomatic partnership. No other U.N. member state has formally recognized Somaliland as an independent country, despite its functioning as a de facto state with its own government, elections and security forces for more than three decades. 

The trip also drew criticism from regional and international actors, particularly Somalia, which considers Somaliland an integral part of its sovereign territory and rejects its independence. Somalia’s foreign ministry condemned Sa’ar’s visit in a statement released Tuesday, calling it an “unauthorized entry.”

Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Dhaay also convened what he described as an “emergency virtual session” of the African Union Peace and Security Council to address what he called “developments affecting Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while rejecting what the government characterized as “external interference.”

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has also stirred unease across parts of the Arab and Muslim world. Qatar and 21 other countries in the region, including Jordan, Egypt and Iran, issued a joint statement last month expressing their “unequivocal rejection” of the move.

Supporters of recognition argue that Somaliland’s stability and democratic governance distinguish it from other states and its positioning would provide key benefits for pro-Western countries in a volatile region — including strategic access to the Gulf of Aden, which sits across parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthis.

In a post on X on Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said recognition of Somaliland “isn’t charity.” 

“It aligns with America’s security interests and the ‘America First’ doctrine by strengthening an ally that shares our values in a region vital to global trade and counterterrorism,” Cruz wrote.

However, President Donald Trump has thus far downplayed the prospect of the United States following Israel’s lead.

“Somaliland has every moral and legal claim to nationhood status as the successor state to British Somaliland, which was granted independence in 1960 and has functioned as a de facto independent democracy since 1991,” said Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, in a brief released Tuesday.

“The truth is that Turkey, Egypt, and a coalition of Sunni Muslim countries will always corral global Islamist opposition to anything that benefits Israel,” Fitton-Brown added. “These voices should be ignored, and the United States should itself recognize Somaliland.”