HARGEISA — When Israel recognised the Republic of Somaliland in December 2025, it reshaped diplomatic conversations across the Horn of Africa. For Greece, however, the case for engaging Somaliland is not simply about recent events. It is about sea routes, commerce and geopolitical realities that stretch back centuries.
Ancient Maritime Links
Connections between the eastern Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa are older than modern states. Long before today’s strategic rivalries, trade routes linked the Somaliland coast with the wider Mediterranean world.
The coastline became known for exporting frankincense, myrrh, spices, gold and other prized commodities that moved northward through the Red Sea into Mediterranean markets.
By the first century CE, Greek merchants documented these routes in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The text describes ports such as Malao (modern-day Berbera) and Mosylon, and refers to the wider coastline as “Barbaria.” Other coastal hubs, including Zeila, Maydh and Xiis (Mundus), were active points in the incense and spice trade connecting Africa, Arabia and the Mediterranean basin.
Archaeological remains across Somaliland, from ancient walls to burial sites, reflect a society deeply engaged in maritime commerce. Geography positioned the Somaliland coast as a bridge between continents, a role that continues today.
Strategic Geography in a Changing Region
Somaliland’s coastline stretches more than 850 kilometres along the Gulf of Aden, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints. A substantial share of global trade moves through this corridor toward Europe via the Suez Canal.
For Greece, whose global influence is closely tied to shipping, maritime security is not abstract policy. It is economic reality. Greek-owned fleets regularly cross the same waters that once carried ancient trade.
The Port of Berbera, expanded and operated by DP World, has reinforced the strategic weight of the Somaliland coast along the Red Sea corridor.
Meanwhile, Turkey has deepened its engagement with Somalia through military cooperation and infrastructure projects in Mogadishu. Ankara’s growing footprint along the Red Sea intersects with broader Eastern Mediterranean dynamics, including its long-standing tensions with Athens.
Developments in the Horn of Africa increasingly connect to Mediterranean security calculations.
A Strategic Choice for Athens
Recognition of Somaliland would not simply be symbolic. It would reflect alignment between maritime interests and geopolitical positioning.
It could open opportunities for cooperation in port management and logistics, strengthen maritime security coordination along a vital trade corridor and encourage investment in fisheries, renewable energy and infrastructure. It would also allow Greece to diversify partnerships in a region where influence is actively contested.
Israel’s decision in December 2025 altered the diplomatic landscape. Greece now faces its own strategic decision, shaped by history, geography and maritime logic.
From ancient traders navigating Red Sea routes to modern Greek fleets crossing Bab el-Mandeb, the connection between Greece and the Somaliland coast spans centuries.
Recognition would not create that link. It would formalise it.
