By Reuters
Somaliland expects to reach a trade agreement soon with Israel, the first country to recognise its independence, and is willing to offer access to valuable mineral deposits as part of a potential deal, its president said in an interview with Reuters.
Israel became the first country to recognise the Republic of Somaliland in late December. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would seek immediate cooperation in agriculture, health, technology and the economy.
Speaking to Reuters via video link from Dubai, where he was attending the World Governments Summit, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said no bilateral economic agreement had yet been concluded but that Somaliland expected to sign a “partnership agreement” in the near future.
“At the moment, there is no trade, and there is no investment from Israel. But we are hoping 100% for their investment, their trade, and hopefully we will engage with Israeli businesspeople and the government soon,” he said.
“Somaliland is a very rich country in resources — minerals, oil, gas, marine resources, agriculture, energy and other sectors,” Abdullahi added. “We have meat, we have fish, we have minerals — and they need them. So trade can start from these main sectors. The sky is the limit.”
In return, Somaliland would seek access to Israeli technology, he said.
Somaliland says its mineral resources include vast lithium reserves, a critical component for batteries and electric vehicles. In 2024, Saudi mining firm Kilomass secured an exploration agreement in Somaliland covering lithium and other critical minerals.
Abdullahi said he was grateful to Israel for being the first country to recognise Somaliland. While Somaliland also hopes for future military cooperation, he said the establishment of Israeli military bases had not been discussed.
He said he had accepted an invitation from Netanyahu and would visit Israel, though no date has yet been set. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland last month.
Abdullahi said he expects all United Nations member states eventually to follow Israel’s lead, including the United Arab Emirates and the United States, although he noted that international recognition typically takes time.
He said he maintains a good working relationship with the United States and believes President Donald Trump will “someday” recognise Somaliland. Last month, Abdullahi promoted investment opportunities at a dinner in Davos attended by Trump’s son, Eric Trump.
