Somaliland president pitches business opportunities to Trump's son

2 hours agoAbdirahman Ali Dhimbil,BBC SomaliandJean OtalorThe president of Somaliland has held separate talks with his Israeli counterpart and the second son of the US leader, as the breakaway region continues to seek international recognition and foreign investment.Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi met Isaac Herzog and businessman Eric Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.''Our discussions focused on strengthening and advancing bilateral relations between the Republic of Somaliland and the State of Israel,'' Abdullahi said in a post on X about the meeting with Herzog.Last month, Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland - 35 years after it declared independence from Somalia.President "Cirro", as he is known in Somaliland, shared images on social media of the closed-door event, which was reportedly organised by the Greek House Davos programme, a private forum for discreet high-level gatherings. Abdirahman Bayle, an advisor to Somaliland's leader, told the BBC that Eric Trump had ''expressed interest in Somaliland and the opportunities it offers''.''Among the issues we discussed were global investors in the livestock and agriculture sectors, so that we can industrialise these sectors and export to the rest of the world," Bayle added.Livestock is the territory's main export, primarily to Saudi Arabia.Eric Trump does not have any official US government position but holds a senior role at the Trump Organization, which runs the family's businesses. The BBC has approached his representatives for comment but has not received a response.Somaliland sits in a strategic position on major Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping routes. During the talks, the president emphasised Somaliland's openness to investment, pointing to the deep-water port of Berbera as a potential logistics hub for trade and energy infrastructure.Bayle told the BBC that his government's approach had shifted."For the first time, we are not asking the world for aid," he said. "We are offering our resources."Israel's president described the talks as positive, posting on X: "I was pleased to meet here in Davos with the President of Somaliland. "I welcome the establishment of diplomatic relations between us and look forward to deepening cooperation for the benefit of our two peoples."Earlier this month, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland for the first time and said Israel was determined to advance relations with Somaliland "with momentum".Somaliland has governed itself since it broke away from Somalia in 1991 after the collapse of the central government in Mogadishu. It has held its own elections, issued its own currency and built its own security forces, maintaining relative stability compared with much of southern Somalia.However, its declaration of independence had not been recognised internationally until Israel's move in December. The recognition drew criticism from Somalia, the African Union and countries including China and Turkey, which said it violated Somalia's territorial integrity.The US defended Israel, accusing its critics of double standards.