‘Threat to int’l peace’: Pakistan joins OIC, other nations in rejecting Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
- Muslim countries’ joint statement back Somalia’s sovereignty.
- Express grave concern over recognition of parts of states.
- Statement also dismisses attempts to forcibly expel Palestinians.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other countries, in a joint statement issued on Sunday, slammed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, terming it a threat to international peace and security.
The joint statement, backed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Iran, Egypt, Qatar and others, highlights the serious repercussions of such an unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole, which also reflects Israel’s full and blatant disregard to international law.
The joint statement comes against the backdrop of Tel Aviv’s becoming the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would seek immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology and the economy.
In a statement, he congratulated Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, praised his leadership and invited him to visit Israel.
Netanyahu said the declaration was “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of President Trump”.
Meanwhile, Abdullahi said in a statement that Somaliland would join the Abraham Accords, calling it a step toward regional and global peace.
However, the Muslim countries’ joint statement today terms Israel’s recognition “a grave violation of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, which explicitly stipulates the imperative of protecting the sovereignty of states and their territorial integrity, and reflects Israel’s expansionist”.
Backing Somalia’s sovereignty, the joint statement unequivocally rejects “any measures that undermine the unity of Somalia, its territorial integrity or its sovereignty over its entire territory”.
“The recognition of parts of states constitutes a serious precedent and threatens international peace and security, and violates the cardinal principles of international law and the UN Charter,” it read.
Furthermore, the statement dismisses “any potential link between such measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land,” which it said is unequivocally rejected in any form as a matter of principle.
A day earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) had also denounced Israel’s announcement recognising the independence of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
