ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday vowed to extend full support to Somalia at the UN and other multilateral fora after Israel last week recognized Somaliland, a breakaway African region, triggering anger among Muslim nations.
Israel this week announced it had recognized Somaliland — a self-declared region that broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not previously been recognized by any United Nations member state — triggering condemnation from Somalia and criticism from regional bodies.
The foreign ministers of 21 Muslim nations, including Pakistan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), released a joint statement on Saturday condemning Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, saying the move was a violation of the principles of the UN charter and international law.
Dar received a phone call from Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali on Sunday during which the latter thanked Islamabad for supporting Somalia in the wake of recent developments, the Pakistani foreign office said. He also sought Pakistan’s assistance in raising Somalia’s concerns at the UN Security Council, the foreign ministry said.
“The DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for Somalia’s sovereignty & territorial integrity and condemned any actions aimed at undermining it,” the statement said.
“The DPM/FM affirmed Pakistan’s full support for Somalia at the UN and other multilateral fora.”
Israel’s move to recognize the breakaway region triggered anger among Muslim nations worldwide after international media reports earlier this year said Israel and the US had reached out to East African states, including Somaliland, to take in Palestinians from Gaza.
The joint statement by Muslim states said they rejected any attempts to “forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land.”
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also condemned Israel’s move to recognize the breakaway region on Sunday, describing it as a threat to the stability of the region and the world.
Critics argue that Israel has long lobbied to carve up the region further under various guises.
This recognition of Somaliland is seen by many in the Arab world as a continuation of a strategy aimed at weakening centralized Arab and Muslim states by encouraging peripheral secessionist movements.
