Somaliland urges Cyprus and Greece to consider recognition after Somali speaker’s TRNC reference

Nicosia, Cyprus. The internationally unrecognised ‘Republic of Somaliland’ has called on Cyprus and Greece to consider recognising it after Somalia’s newly elected parliament speaker referred to the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ in a social media post that was later deleted.

Somaliland said recognition would offer opportunities for diplomatic, economic and security cooperation while strengthening a shared position against Somalia and Turkey.

Somaliland’s call

“The Republic of Somaliland stands with the Republic of Cyprus and Greece against aggression from Somalia and Turkey. The failed state of Somalia’s parliament speaker’s engagement with the speaker of northern Cyprus raises significant questions,” Somaliland authorities said in a social media post.

They said that, following Somali Parliament Speaker Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur’s reference to the ‘TRNC’, “Greece and Cyprus should take a fresh, strategic look at the Republic of Somaliland”.

“Recognising Somaliland would create new opportunities for diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation, while strengthening a shared position against Somalia and Turkish aggression,” they added.

Deleted post and Somalia’s response

Nur accepted a telephone call from Turkish Cypriot ‘parliament speaker’ Ziya Ozturkler after his election as parliament speaker earlier this month.

In a subsequent social media post, Nur said he wished to “extend by sincere thanks to [the] speaker of the assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, for his kind congratulations”.

The post was later deleted. Somalia’s foreign ministry said on Friday that its position on Cyprus remained unchanged and was guided by the United Nations Charter and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The ministry reaffirmed its “full respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, in accordance with international law”.

Somalia-Turkey relations

Somalia has long maintained political ties with Turkey. Nur said on Friday that the relationship, which began with humanitarian aid in 2011, was now developing through strategic projects based on “brotherhood, mutual respect, and shared interest”.

He said cooperation was prominent in security, education, health, development, economic infrastructure and humanitarian aid.

Last month, Turkey’s parliament approved a bill submitted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan extending the permanent presence of Turkish troops in Somalia until July 2028.