I’m Not Ready to Join Israel in Recognising Somaliland — Trump
United States President Donald Trump has said he is not prepared to immediately follow Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland as an independent country.
Trump made this known during a telephone interview with the New York Post on Friday, where he indicated that the issue was still under consideration.
“Everything is under study … We’ll study it. I study a lot of things and always make great decisions and they turn out to be correct. Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” Trump said.
Reacting to Somaliland’s proposal to grant the United States access to a port along the strategically important Gulf of Aden, the President appeared unimpressed, responding: “Big deal.”
Israel on Friday became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland’s independence from Somalia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would brief Trump on the development during a scheduled meeting on Monday.
Netanyahu, speaking during a video call with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi to mark the diplomatic move, also disclosed that he would inform Trump of Somaliland’s interest in joining the Abraham Accords.
However, Trump stressed that the proposal would not influence his position, noting that discussions with Netanyahu would focus primarily on the situation in the Gaza Strip.
He added that the talks would prioritise the Gaza ceasefire he brokered in October, as well as ongoing reconstruction efforts being carried out under a United Nations–approved framework.
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