'Illegal, unacceptable': Pakistan, 13 other nations condemn Somaliland's announcement of opening embassy in Jerusalem

Pakistan, along with 13 other nations, on Sunday condemned the “illegal and unacceptable step” of the so-called Somaliland opening a “purported” embassy in occupied Jerusalem, terming it an “infringement on the legal and historical status of Jerusalem,” the Foreign Office (FO) said.

Somaliland is a breakaway region of Somalia.

In December 2025, Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. Somalia rejected this move and termed a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty.

On May 19, it was announced that Somaliland would set up an embassy in Jerusalem soon.

Subsequently, the foreign ministries of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkiye, Indonesia, Djibouti, Somalia, Palestine, Oman, Sudan, and Yemen condemned “the illegal and unacceptable step taken by the so-called ‘Somaliland’ region in opening a purported ‘embassy’ in occupied Jerusalem”.

“This constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and relevant international resolutions, and represents a direct infringement on the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem,” they said in a joint statement.

As per the statement, the ministers categorically rejected “unilateral measures aimed at enriching an illegal reality in occupied Jerusalem or conferring legitimacy on any entities or arrangements that contravene international law and relevant United Nations resolutions”.

The statement said that East Jerusalem was a part of the occupied Palestinian territory since 1967, stressing that any attempt at altering its “legal and historical status” was “null and void and without legal effect”.

The countries also reiterated their “full support for the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” of Somalia. They unequivocally rejected “unilateral measures that undermine the unity of Somali territory or infringe upon its sovereignty”.

After Israel formally recognised Somaliland in December, the US had later defended Israel’s decision at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). But, several other countries, including Pakistan, questioned whether the move could be linked to proposals to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza or to establish military bases.

Last month, twelve countries, including Pakistan, had also expressed “their strongest condemnation” at Israel’s announcement of appointing a diplomatic representative to Somaliland.

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Additional input from Reuters.