Dr. Mohamed Hagi, adviser to Somaliland’s president and architect of ties with Israel, to serve as top envoy; Herzog hails ‘important new partnership’ that will benefit region
Republic of Somaliland’s first-ever ambassador to a foreign country presented his diplomatic credentials to President Isaac Herzog on Monday.
Dr. Mohamed Hagi, appointed in February, has been serving as adviser to Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, and was an architect of Israel-Somaliland relations.
Israel in December became the only country in the world to recognize Somaliland’s independence — something the territory has been seeking since restoring its sovereignty from Somalia in 1991.
“We have built a great relationship,” Hagi said, according to the President’s Residence, “which is a strategic one that will pave the way forward on many things in all domains, whether that is development, political cooperation, security cooperation, and, of course, the people-to-people relationship.”
Hagi said that Somaliland’s people “very much appreciate that Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland in 1960, and again, after 35 years of independence and sovereignty, Israel again became the first country that recognized Somaliland.”
“Our relationship is unique because it’s not just about two governments, it’s about the people of Israel and the people of Somaliland,” he continued. “In Somaliland, you can see lots of Israeli flags and people waving them in the streets and in rural areas as well.” Ambassador Hagi.
“I was delighted to receive the first-ever Ambassador of Somaliland to Israel, Mohamed Hagi, who presented his diplomatic credentials this morning,” Herzog wrote on X on Monday.
“Ambassador Hagi was kind enough to praise our orchestra, who played the national anthem of Somaliland for the first time ever in Israel. This important new partnership between our nations will bring a shared future of cooperation in a range of fields to the benefit of both our peoples and the entire region,” the president’s post read.
The new ambassadors of the Vatican, Australia, Korea and Vietnam are also presenting their credentials Monday at the President’s Residence.