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Somaliland is willing to give the United States access to its minerals and military bases, a minister has told AFP, as the breakaway region of Somalia seeks international recognition.
Israel became the only country in the world to recognise Somaliland’s independence in December – something the territory has been seeking since declaring its autonomy from Somalia in 1991.
The government in Mogadishu still considers Somaliland an integral part of Somalia even though the territory has run its own affairs since 1991, with its own passports, currency, army and police force.
“We are willing to give exclusive (access to our minerals) to the United States. Also, we are open to offer military bases to the United States,” Khadar Hussein Abdi, minister of the presidency, told AFP in an interview on Saturday.
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“We believe that we will agree on something with the United States.”
Somaliland president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi already suggested in recent weeks granting Israel privileged access to its mineral resources.
And Khadar Hussein Abdi said he could not rule out the possibility of also allowing Israel to set up a military presence.
Somaliland lies across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, where Houthi rebels have often attacked Israeli assets to show solidarity with Palestinians.
Somaliland officials have said their soil is rich in lithium, coltan and other sought-after resources, though independent studies are lacking.
Turkey plea
Shortly after Israel’s recognition at the end of December, social media was flooded with photos of men and women displaying the Israeli flag – one of them even using it as a hijab.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on the other hand, denounced it as “the greatest violation of Somalia’s sovereignty” and a “threat to the security and stability of the world and the region”.
Read moreThousands of Somalis protest against Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
The African Union and most Arab countries threw their support behind Somalia and condemned the move.
The US, however, defended what it said was Israel’s right to recognise Somaliland, although President Donald Trump said he was unlikely to follow suit, despite pressure from some within his Republican party.
Khadar Hussein Abdi reached out specifically to Turkey, another country that objected to Israel’s move, telling AFP that Turkish officials “must talk to us, not to Mogadishu” as Somalia had no functioning state.
“It is fragmented factions who sit in Mogadishu. They don’t agree on anything,” he said.
“So focusing on that does not help the security of the region.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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