By Goth Mohamed Goth
JERUSALEM — The President of the Republic of Somaliland, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi (Cirro), and his high-level delegation, now on the third day of their official visit to Israel, held a pivotal meeting on Monday with Israel’s Minister of Economy and Industry, H.E. Nir Barkat.
The talks, conducted in a cordial and constructive atmosphere, centered on deepening economic and developmental collaboration between Somaliland and Israel. Discussions placed a strong emphasis on exploring emerging opportunities for investment, bilateral trade, and the expansion of Somaliland’s productive sectors.
Minister Barkat, whose portfolio encompasses industrial policy, trade, investment, exports, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development, and foreign direct investment attraction, engaged with the Somaliland delegation on a wide array of strategic issues.
Key agenda items included:
· Facilitating Israeli corporate investment in Somaliland;
· Strengthening the strategic positioning of the Port of Berbera and its associated Free Trade Zone;
· Bolstering SME growth and capacity-building;
· Modernizing and scaling up Somaliland’s livestock and agricultural export sectors; and
· Enhancing joint cooperation in innovation, technology, and the digital economy.
President Cirro and his delegation provided a comprehensive overview of Somaliland’s abundant natural resources and the investment-friendly environment available to international partners. They detailed the wide-ranging opportunities across multiple sectors, underscoring Somaliland’s commitment to becoming a regional hub for commerce and logistics.
Both sides exchanged forward-looking perspectives on creating a dynamic business climate that attracts fresh capital and expertise, while elevating their bilateral economic ties to the mutual benefit of their peoples.
This high-level engagement forms an integral part of broader efforts to build a strategic partnership rooted in sustainable development, investment flows, trade integration, and knowledge-sharing. The meeting paves the way for new avenues of cooperation that promise to further strengthen the steadily growing relationship between the Republic of Somaliland and the State of Israel.
