Pakistan has joined 20 other nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in rejecting Israel‘s recognition of self-declared Republic of Somaliland, with a joint statement saying that Tel Aviv’s measure reflected its “full and blatant disregard for international law”.

The statement also registered the countries’ rejection of any “potential link between such measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land”.

The joint statement has been issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye, Yemen and the OIC.

Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Friday, with Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, saying his state will join the Abraham Accords.

Somaliland has enjoyed effective autonomy — and relative peace and stability — since 1991, when Somalia descended into civil war, but the breakaway region has failed to receive recognition from any other country.

Israel’s decision could reshape regional dynamics and test Somalia’s longstanding opposition to secession.

The Foreign Office (FO) released the joint statement by 21 nations, including Pakistan, and the OIC on Sunday, underscoring their “unequivocal rejection” of Israel’s recognition of the ‘Somaliland’ region of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

The statement said that given the serious repercussions of such an unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole, the move also “reflects Israel’s full and blatant disregard for international law”.

The 21 nations and the OIC condemned the measure in the strongest terms, saying that it “constitutes a grave violation of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, which explicitly stipulates the imperative of protecting the sovereignty of states and their territorial integrity, and reflects Israel’s expansionist” policy.

They underscored their full support of the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the unequivocal rejection of any measures that undermine the unity of Somalia, its territorial integrity or its sovereignty over its entire territory.

“The recognition of parts of states constitutes a serious precedent and threatens international peace and security, and violates the cardinal principles of international law and the United Nations Charter,” their joint statement read.

They registered their “full rejection of any potential link between such measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land, which is unequivocally rejected in any form as a matter of principle”.

In a separate statement on Saturday, the FO termed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland an attempt to undermine Somalia’s sovereignty.

“Pakistan strongly condemns any attempts to undermine the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and rejects, in this regard, the announcement made by Israel recognising the independence of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” the FO said in a statement.

Islamabad called on the international community to step in to reject any such actions, and “prevent and deter Israel from undermining the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the broader region”.

Meanwhile, in a call with Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for Somalia’s sovereignty and condemned actions undermining it, the FO said in a post on X.

“The Somali Foreign Minister thanked the DPM/FM (Dar) for standing by Somalia and for Pakistan’s continued and sustained support,” the post read. “He also sought Pakistan’s assistance in raising Somalia’s concerns at the UNSC.”

The FO said that Dar affirmed Pakistan’s full support for Somalia at the UN and other multilateral fora.

Similarly, in another call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty, Dar discussed regional and global developments, with Somalia and Yemen in particular, the FO said in another social media post.

For its part, Somalia has declared the Israeli decision a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty.

Meanwhile, the African Union has warned the move risks “setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent”.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on the social media platform X on Saturday that Israel had previously identified Somaliland “as a destination for the forced displacement of our Palestinian people, particularly from the Gaza Strip”. It warned against any “complicity” with such plans.

While several other nations, as well as the European Union, have called for respecting Somalia’s sovereignty, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has characterised the recognition as a continuation of the “spirit of the Abraham Accords”.

However, the United States signalled it would not follow Israel’s lead. When asked by the New York Post whether the US planned to recognise Somaliland, President Trump said, “No.”

“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” Trump said, distancing Washington from the move.