SOMALILAND STRATEGIC ADVISORY GROUP · SL-SAG-PRESS RELEASE
Participants adopt a Declaration and a 13-point Call to Action; the bilateral U.S.–Somaliland partnership advanced
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — The Somaliland Strategic Advisory Group (SL-SAG) convened the U.S.–Somaliland Strategic Partnership Summit on June 25, 2026, at The Westin Tysons Corner, drawing policymakers, scholars, security professionals, business and faith leaders, and members of the Somaliland diaspora. At its close, participants adopted a Summit Conclusion, a Summit Declaration, and a Call to Action, urging the United States to extend formal recognition to the Republic of Somaliland. The day was held under the theme “Recognition Restored: Building the U.S.–Somaliland Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century.”
Speakers traced Somaliland’s history, sovereignty, and democratic record; assessed its strategic position on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a virtual expert panel with Dr. Jamal Ali Hussein, Mohamed Yasin Olad, and Rageh Omaar; and examined the legal path to recognition presented by the Somaliland Recognition Institute, with Charles Kotuby in person and Ambassador David Carden by video. Afternoon sessions addressed partnership opportunities — the Berbera Corridor, rare-earth and critical minerals, and strategic resource partnerships — and a dedicated session led by Rabbi Michael Freund and Joel Rubin on advancing the U.S.–Somaliland partnership, building on the State of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.
The adopted Declaration states that recognition of Somaliland would be “restored, not created” — the restoration of a sovereignty recognized by more than thirty-five states in 1960 — and calls on the President, the Congress, and the Government of the United States to extend formal recognition and open full diplomatic relations. It frames recognition as a strategic investment rather than a concession, citing access to the deep-water Port of Berbera and Somaliland’s counterterrorism and maritime-security record.
The 13-point Call to Action commits participants to mount a robust recognition campaign; to engage think tanks, allied organizations, and political action groups to lobby Washington; to convene a larger Summit each year; to stand up a permanent U.S.– Somaliland working group; and to advance trade, the Berbera Corridor, the bilateral U.S.– Somaliland partnership, and sustained diaspora advocacy, with measurable follow-up.
About SL-SAG: The Somaliland Strategic Advisory Group, based in Ashburn, Virginia, advances recognition of the Republic of Somaliland and a strategic partnership between Somaliland and the United States.