MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somaliland President Abdirahman Abdullahi Irro has paid tribute at two of Israel’s most significant historical sites on the opening day of his first state visit to the territory, as the two sides mark a deepening diplomatic relationship that has drawn sharp criticism from Somalia and many Muslim nations.
Wararka Soomaaliya
Tributes at Mount Herzl and Yad Vashem
Irro laid a wreath at the tomb of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, on Mount Herzl on Sunday, before visiting Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, his office said in a statement on Facebook.
At Yad Vashem, officials briefed Irro on accounts of the Holocaust, walking him through the history of the atrocity and the events that shaped it.
Faahfaahinta
The Somaliland leader also visited the Grove of Nations, where he planted a tree described by his office as a symbol of friendship, cooperation and lasting relations between Somaliland and Israel. The tree, the statement said, represents a living and sustaining bond that will outlast the visit itself, marking a historic friendship that strengthens ties between the two sides.
Irro and Herzog hold joint press conference in Jerusalem
Irro touched down in Jerusalem for his first state visit to Israel, where he held a joint press conference with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Saamaynta
“We are deeply appreciative that the State of Israel has chosen to receive us with such an honour on this historic occasion. By doing so, Israel has taken part in a moment that will be remembered in the diplomatic history of our nation, and we do not take that gesture lightly,” he said.
“Somaliland has been talking, has been reaching out to world leaders for the last 35 years. They were asking only one question: to see us. Only one country desired to see us and recognise Somaliland, and that’s the government of Israel and its people,” Irro added.
Herzog, speaking at the same press conference, dwelt at length on the relationship between the two nations.
Wararka.so waxay kuu soo tebineysaa wararka ugu dambeeyey ee Soomaaliya iyo caalamka. Si aad ula socoto wararkii ugu dambeeyey, booqo boggayaga.
