On Monday, the US defended Israel's right to recognize the self-proclaimed state of Somaliland at a UN meeting, comparing this move to the recognition of Palestinian statehood by several countries, LETA reports citing AFP.
On Friday, Israel officially recognized Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state" and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations, becoming the first country to officially recognize its statehood.
"Israel has the same rights to establish diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state," said US Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Tami Bruce, at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
"Earlier this year, a number of countries, including members of this Council, made a unilateral decision to recognize a non-existent Palestinian state, yet no emergency meeting was convened to express the Council's outrage," Bruce added, accusing her colleagues of "double standards."
Israel's statement on recognizing Somaliland has been criticized by the African Union, the European Union, Egypt, and other states insisting on respecting the sovereignty of war-torn Somalia.
US President Donald Trump stated that he is against recognizing Somaliland, and Bruce emphasized on Monday that "American policy on this issue has not changed."
Slovenia's Permanent Representative, Samuel Žbogar, whose country recognized the statehood of Palestine, rejected the comparison made by Washington.
"Palestine is not part of any state. It is a territory illegally occupied, as ruled by the International Court. At the same time, Somaliland is part of a UN member state, and its recognition contradicts the UN Charter," Žbogar stated.
Somalia's Ambassador to the UN, Abubakar Osman, representing the current member of the Security Council, condemned Israel's decision. "This aggressive action is aimed at fragmenting the territory of Somalia," Osman said, calling on the UN to unanimously reject the recognition of Somaliland.
Several member states expressed support for the territorial integrity of Somalia without directly mentioning Israel.
Israel's representative at the UN, Yonatan Miller, stated that this decision "is not a hostile step towards Somalia and does not preclude future dialogue between the parties." He called it "an opportunity to strengthen stability."
The former British protectorate of Somaliland, with a population of about 4.5 million, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and seeks international recognition.
However, Somaliland's independence is not recognized at the international level and faces strong opposition from the Somali government in Mogadishu, which has limited control over Somaliland's territory.
Somaliland is located in a strategically important region on the coast of the Gulf of Aden opposite Yemen. Unlike Somalia, which has been in chaos since 1991, Somaliland has managed to ensure peace and stability in its territory since declaring independence.
