Written by: Qusay Ahmed

The Foreign Ministers of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of Sudan, the State of Libya, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Palestine, the Republic of Turkey, and the Republic of Indonesia condemned in the strongest terms Israel's announcement of the appointment of a diplomatic envoy to the so-called SomalilandThey considered the Israeli announcement a blatant violation of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

10 countries condemn Israel's appointment of an ambassador to Somaliland

The ministers affirm their complete rejection of all unilateral actions that affect the unity of states or diminish their sovereignty, stressing their unwavering support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, and support for the legitimate institutions of the Somali state, as the only entity that expresses the will of the Somali people.

The ministers also affirm that such actions are a clear violation of the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and represent a dangerous precedent that could undermine stability in the Horn of Africa region, negatively impacting regional peace and security in general.

Appointment of an Israeli ambassador to Somaliland

Tel Aviv announced last Wednesday the appointment of its first ambassador to the region SomalilandThis comes a few months after Tel Aviv recognized the Somali region as an independent state.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated in a statement carried by Hebrew media that the committee for appointments of heads of diplomatic missions, headed by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, approved the appointment of Michael Lotem as Israel's ambassador to the Somaliland region.

Lotem, the nominee for the Israeli embassy in Somaliland, has served as the roving economic ambassador to the African continent, and has previously served as Israel’s ambassador to Kenya, Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, and Israel’s ambassador to Kazakhstan.

Somalia condemned this, saying in a statement by the Federal Government that this action represents a flagrant violation of Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and is in clear contravention of the rules of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and the founding principles of the African Union, the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which clearly affirm that Somalia is a single sovereign and indivisible state within its internationally recognized borders.