Unrecognised Somaliland calls on Cyprus, Greece to recognise it

The internationally unrecognised ‘Republic of Somaliland’ has called on both Cyprus and Greece to consider recognising it, after the new parliament speaker of Somalia, the country from which it has broken away, referred to the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ in a now deleted social media post. “The Republic of Somaliland stands with the Republic of Cyprus and Greece against aggression from Somalia and Turkey. The failed state of Somalia’s parliament speaker’s engagement with the speaker of northern Cyprus raises significant questions,” its authorities wrote in a post on social media. They added that following Somali Parliament Speaker Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur’s reference to the ‘TRNC’, “Greece and Cyprus should take a fresh, strategic look at the Republic of Somaliland”. “Recognising Somaliland would create new opportunities for diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation, while strengthening a shared position against Somalia and Turkish aggression,” they said. Nur had accepted a telephone call from Turkish Cypriot ‘parliament speaker’ Ziya Ozturkler after being elected as parliament speaker earlier this month, and wrote in a subsequent social media post that he wished to “extend by sincere thanks to [the] speaker of the assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, for his kind congratulations”. The post has since been deleted, with Somalia’s foreign ministry on Friday stressing that “its position on the Cyprus issue remains unchanged and continues to be guided by the charter of the United Nations and thee relevant resolutions of the United Nations security council”. It added that it “reaffirms its full respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, in accordance with international law”. Somalia has long had political ties to Turkey, with Nur having said on Friday that “over the past 15 years, the relationship between Somalia and Turkey, which began with humanitarian aid in 2011, is today undergoing strategic projects, a relationship built on brotherhood, mutual respect, and shared interest”. “Cooperation is prominent in the areas of security, education, health, development, economic infrastructure, and humanitarian aid,” he added. Last month, Turkey’s parliament approved a bill submitted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the permanent presence of Turkish troops in Somalia until July 2028. According to Turkish public broadcaster TRT, those troops will “continue supporting [Somalia] in combating terrorism, piracy, and other threats”, while the Somali government had “sought continued Turkish military assistance under a defence and cooperation framework agreement”. With Somalia being largely aligned with Turkey in this sense, regional rival Israel took the decision in December last year to recognise the otherwise internationally unrecognised ‘Republic of Somaliland’, which administers the northern third of what is otherwise internationally considered to be the territory of the Federal Republic of Somalia. No country followed Israel in recognising Somaliland, with the Republic of Cyprus’ foreign ministry having said in December that it “aligns itself with the European Union’s call for respect to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia”. It also said that it “underscores its position that Somaliland remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia”. Earlier, the European external action service – the European Union’s equivalent to a foreign ministry – had said that it “reaffirms the importance of respecting the unity, the sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia”. “This is key for the peace and stability of the entire Horn of Africa region. The EU encourages meaningful dialogue between Somaliland and the federal government of Somalia to resolve longstanding differences,” he said.