Hargeisa Feb 16 (Horn Diplomat) – Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irropraised U.S. President Donald Trump as “a great leader and a peacemaker” and said Somaliland is ready to enter into a full security and economic partnership with the United States.
Speaking in an interview published by Breitbart News from Dubai, Abdullahi said Somaliland’s stability and strategic location align with American priorities in maritime security, counterterrorism and supply chain diversification.
“In my personal opinion, and in the opinion of my people, we see President Trump’s peace initiatives as the work of a great leader and a peacemaker who has now solved eight ongoing wars in the world,” Abdullahi he said, noting that he has previously proposed Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
He added that Trump’s leadership represents “a service to the world” and “a service to peace,” saying the president has restored the United States as a decisive force for stability.
Abdullahi said Somaliland backs Trump’s diplomatic initiatives and hopes to formalize expanded cooperation.
“We support the peace initiative of the President,” he said. “We support moving forward on that process. We have already shown our interest, and I hope to have the opportunity to sign such an agreement — both in Israel and in the Oval Office.”
Framing his appeal to Washington as strategic rather than financial, Abdullahi said: “We are not asking for aid. We are asking for partnership.”
He described Somaliland as occupying “perhaps the most strategically positioned territory in the region,” citing its coastline along the Gulf of Aden near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime chokepoint linking the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea.
“We have secure, piracy-free waters,” Abdullahi said. “We are strategically located in the Gulf of Aden. We are near Bab el-Mandeb.”
Abdullahi also said Somaliland could contribute to U.S. efforts to secure global trade routes.
“We can be an indispensable partner in maritime security,” he said, adding that Somaliland stands ready to help ensure global trade “goes smoothly and freely.”
On economic cooperation, Abdullahi highlighted Somaliland’s resource potential.
“We have a lot to offer the United States,” he said. “We have rare earth minerals, oil, gas, marine resources, livestock — many natural resources.”
“We are ready for business,” he added.
Several Republican lawmakers in Washington have voiced support for closer ties with Somaliland. Abdullahi thanked U.S. Senator Ted Cruz directly.
“I thank Senator Ted Cruz. He is a brave man,” Abdullahi said. “I agree with him.”
On security cooperation, he said: “We are ready to fully cooperate in counterterrorism in the region and worldwide. We shall be a partner in counterterrorism and in securing safe passage for world trade.”
Positioned across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen and adjacent to one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, Somaliland, he argued, can serve as a reliable anchor of stability.
“We are a peaceful democracy and a reliable partner to the world,” Abdullahi said. “Hopefully, the world will understand the difference between Somaliland and Somalia.”
