Saar landed in the capital Hargeisa on Tuesday and was received by government officials at the airport, according to a statement from Somaliland’s presidency.
He later met President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, with footage circulating online showing the two together at the presidential palace.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Somalia’s federal government insists Somaliland remains an integral part of Somali territory and warned that recognition undermines Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Saar said Israel is undeterred by the criticism about the recognition, and the two governments will “soon” open embassies and appoint ambassadors.
“We hear the attacks, the criticism, the condemnations,” Saar continued, adding, “Nobody will determine for Israel who we recognize and who we maintain diplomatic relations with.”
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry condemned Saar’s visit as an “unauthorized incursion” into its sovereign territory, and “unacceptable interference in the internal affairs” of Somalia.
The ministry announced that any official presence or engagement in Somali territory without Mogadishu’s consent was “illegal, null, and void”.
