Saudi Arabia and a group of Arab and Islamic countries have condemned what they described as Somaliland’s “illegal and unacceptable” decision to open a purported embassy in occupied Jerusalem.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Djibouti, Somalia, Palestine, Oman, Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon and Mauritania said the move represented a “flagrant violation of international law and relevant international resolutions”.
The ministers said the step amounted to “a direct infringement on the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem”, a city whose status remains one of the central issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The statement rejected what it described as unilateral measures aimed at altering the status of Jerusalem and reiterated support for international resolutions concerning the occupied city.
The ministers also reaffirmed their backing for Somalia’s territorial integrity, stressing their “full support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the country.
Somaliland, a self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa, declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but it is not internationally recognised as a sovereign state. Somalia continues to regard Somaliland as part of its territory.
Jerusalem’s status remains highly contested under international law. Most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, pending a negotiated settlement between Israelis and Palestinians.
