Israel’s first ambassador presents credentials in Somaliland
Somaliland’s president accepted Michael Lotem’s credentials in Hargeisa, formally accrediting Israel’s representative under their existing diplomatic relationship.
Loading… Բեռնվում է…
Somaliland’s president accepted Michael Lotem’s credentials in Hargeisa, formally accrediting Israel’s representative under their existing diplomatic relationship.
Israel’s first ambassador to Somaliland, Michael Lotem, presented his credentials in Hargeisa, where President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Cirro, formally accepted them. Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced both ceremonies on 1 November 2026, saying they had taken place the previous week, Al Jazeera said.
Credentials formally authorize an ambassador to speak for the sending country; their acceptance marks the start of the ambassador’s duties. Lotem’s accreditation puts into practice the relationship established on 26 December 2025, when Israel became the first United Nations member state to recognize Somaliland.
Officials also laid the cornerstone for a future Israeli embassy in Hargeisa after the credentials ceremony. That was a step toward establishing the embassy, not its opening.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but Somalia continues to claim the territory. No United Nations member other than Israel recognizes Somaliland’s independence. Cirro said this was the first time a Somaliland president had received credentials from an ambassador of a member state recognizing its independence.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited Somaliland in January 2026. Somaliland then opened an embassy in West Jerusalem during Cirro’s June visit to Israel. Sa’ar said the exchange of ambassadors fulfilled commitments made when diplomatic relations were established.
Lotem previously served as Israel’s ambassador to Kenya, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, and as a roving ambassador for economic affairs in Africa. He said recognition acknowledged what Somaliland had built over 35 years, rather than being merely a diplomatic formality.
Somalia condemned Israel’s recognition as a violation of its sovereignty. The Arab League, African Union and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also condemned the move.
Somaliland lies across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a major shipping passage connecting the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Cirro said this position gave cooperation with Israel regional and international significance.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in an interview with Sky News that Israel sought access to the Red Sea rather than support for Somaliland’s independence. He also alleged that Israel wanted a naval base there. Somaliland officials have expressed openness to hosting an Israeli military base, but Cirro recently said no talks had taken place.
Israel has acknowledged earlier security cooperation. During Cirro’s visit, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the two sides had worked together on secret operations for years and wanted to expand their security ties.
Horndiplomat said Cirro sought practical benefits from cooperation in political affairs, infrastructure, trade, investment, security and technology. In the presidency’s account of the meeting, Lotem pledged to advance cooperation in security and defense, trade, investment, technology, healthcare and education, with the aim of producing tangible benefits for people on both sides.
CPJ says 20 years could be enforced if Ghazanfari’s verdict is upheld. Omid Faraghat received 10 years and one day and a permanent public-sector employment ban; his cousin says the sentence remained unenforced and the family had challenged it.
2 min
The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched investigators, with Federal Aviation Administration personnel assisting at the scene, to determine why the jet went down.
2 min
President Lee Jae Myung’s 2027 plan includes 21.3 trillion won (about $16 billion) for superintelligence (SI) and chip megaprojects, and 4.7 trillion won (about $3.5 billion) for frontier SI development. Parliament must approve the spending.
2 min
