Overview
- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel’s recognition of Somaliland illegitimate during talks in Turkey with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
- Turkey said it will begin offshore oil drilling near Somalia and build a spaceport in 2026, framing the initiatives as support for Somalia’s stability and sovereignty.
- At an emergency UN Security Council meeting, most members condemned Israel’s move, while the United States defended Israel’s right to establish relations but said its own Somaliland policy is unchanged.
- Somalia’s president alleged, citing intelligence, that Somaliland accepted conditions tied to Israeli recognition, including Palestinian resettlement, an Israeli military base on the Gulf of Aden, and joining the Abraham Accords.
- Regional governments and organizations, including more than 20 Muslim-majority states, the Arab League, the OIC, the EU and others, warned the step risks destabilizing the Horn of Africa and Red Sea security.