‘Does anyone know what Somaliland is?’ Trump responds after Israel’s sudden move
Donald Trump has indicated he is not yet prepared to fully recognise Somaliland.
On Friday, Israel broke ranks to become the first state to formally support the breakaway republic.
Somaliland is located on the Horn of Africa and shares borders with Djibouti to the north, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Somalia, from which it has broken away, to the east.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring up the subject during his scheduled meeting with the US president on Monday.
However, the New York Post reported Trump was not interested in acknowledging the Muslim-majority state.
‘Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?’, he is quoted as asking at his West Palm Beach golf course.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, has offered to join the Abraham Accords, which comprises Arab nations that have normalised relations with Israel.
It has successfully held democratic elections and is viewed as a stable entity, in contrast with unstable Somalia.
It has also extended an offer of land for a possible US naval base in the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea.
However, Trump seemed largely dismissive of both suggestions. He remarked, ‘big deal’ and added that all proposals were ‘under study’.
‘I study a lot of things and always make great decisions and they turn out to be correct,’ he said.
The president further suggested his talks with Netanyahu would be dominated by the situation in the Gaza Strip rather than other affairs.
Among US proponents for Somaliland is arch Trump loyalist Congressman Scott Perry, who has submitted an act to recognise the nation.
A former British protectorate, Somaliland gained de facto independence from its civil war-torn neighbour in 1991.
While it enjoys strong relations with neighbouring Ethiopia and some Arab nations including the UAE, other countries in the region advocate against its independence, including Egypt and Turkey.
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