Somaliland Ambassador Presents Credentials to Israeli President

By: Mohamed Duale

JERUSALEM, May 18 (Horn Diplomat) – Ambassador Mohamed Hagi, Somaliland’s first ambassador to a foreign country, is scheduled to present his diplomatic credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a landmark diplomatic ceremony reflecting the rapidly expanding ties between Somaliland and Israel, according to the Israeli President’s Residence.

Mohamed Hagi, who was appointed Somaliland’s ambassador to Israel in February, will formally submit his credentials during an official ceremony in Jerusalem, marking the establishment of full diplomatic representation between the two sides.

Hagi previously served as an adviser to Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro and is widely regarded as one of the key architects behind the growing relationship between Somaliland and Israel.

The ceremony follows Israel’s formal recognition of Somaliland on Dec. 26, 2025, making Israel the first country to officially recognize Somaliland since it restored its statehood in 1991.

Somaliland, located along the strategic Gulf of Aden corridor near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has maintained its own government, currency, security institutions and electoral system for more than three decades despite lacking broad international recognition.

Israeli officials have increasingly described Somaliland as an important strategic partner in the Horn of Africa due to its location along key maritime trade routes linking Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

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Relations between the two sides have accelerated in recent months through diplomatic contacts and discussions focused on security cooperation, trade, technology, infrastructure and regional stability.

Israel has also moved to strengthen its diplomatic presence in Somaliland. On April 15, Israel appointed veteran diplomat Michael Lotem as its first ambassador to Somaliland following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December 2025.

In a statement ahead of the ceremony, Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Republic of Somaliland “proudly marks the formal presentation of the Letters of Credence” of Ambassador Mohamed Hagi to President Herzog as Somaliland’s first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the State of Israel.

Following the ceremony, President Herzog said he was “delighted to receive the first-ever Ambassador of Somaliland to Israel,” adding that the new partnership between the two sides would bring “a shared future of cooperation in a range of fields to the benefit of both our peoples and the entire region.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also welcomed Ambassador Hagi at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, describing the occasion as “another meaningful day on the path we’re paving together.”

“I’ll continue building the relationship with Somaliland,” Sa’ar said in a statement posted on X.

Analysts say the exchange of ambassadors between Somaliland and Israel represents a historic diplomatic breakthrough that could encourage broader international engagement with Somaliland and reshape regional diplomatic dynamics in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.

(Reporting by Mohamed Duale; Editing by Horn Diplomat Desk)