The Appointments Committee for the Appointment of Heads of Missions Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, approved this evening (Wednesday) the appointment of Michael Lotem as Israel's ambassador to Somaliland.
Lotem currently serves as an Economic Ambassador-at-Large for the African continent, and previously served as Israel's Ambassador to Kenya, Israel's Ambassador to Azerbaijan, and Israel's Ambassador to Kazakhstan.
In the first phase, Lotem will be a non-resident ambassador to Somaliland. The appointment requires government approval.
Last December, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced official recognition of the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state.
Israel is the first country to officially recognize Somaliland, even though the Somaliland government maintains relations with various countries. Early last year, Ethiopia reached an agreement with Somaliland under which it would also recognize its independence, in exchange for access to the sea through the port of Barbara in Somaliland, but the agreement has not yet been implemented.
In January, Foreign Minister Saar visited Somaliland, where he announced: "We have agreed on the mutual appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies, and we will do so soon.".
Somaliland is a separatist region located in northwestern Somalia, on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, and borders - apart from Somalia - Ethiopia and Djibouti.
It is a former British colony that united with Italian Somalia in 1960 to form the state of Somalia. With the major crisis that Somalia entered with the collapse of the regime, the region declared independence in 1991, and has since functioned as an independent state with Hargeisa as its capital, but without international recognition.
Over the past decade, Somaliland has received significant support from the United Arab Emirates, and has been trying to achieve international recognition - without much success.
