NAIROBI/JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is on ​a visit to Somaliland in East Africa, where he is due to meet the semi-autonomous region’s president later ‌on Tuesday, ‌according ‌to ⁠a ​senior ‌Somaliland official.

A second source briefed on the visit confirmed the foreign minister was in Somaliland, without ⁠providing further details. The Israeli ‌foreign ministry ‍did not ‍immediately respond when asked ‍if the foreign minsiter was in Somaliland.

The visit comes 10 ​days after Israel formally recognized the self-declared ⁠Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, a move that sparked criticism from Somalia, which has long opposed Somaliland’s bid to secede.