Somalia backs Serbia on Kosovo, breaks with Muslim allies

[Deeq A.]

BELGRADE, Serbia – Somalia has thrown its weight behind Serbia’s stance on Kosovo, reaffirming Belgrade’s territorial integrity in a move that sets it apart from most Muslim-majority nations and the United States.

The announcement came during a visit in which Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre also met with his Serbian counterpart, Đuro Matsut, in Belgrade.

Their talks focused on expanding cooperation in education, security, and economic development, while also producing a new health agreement that will see the two countries share medical expertise, research, and training.

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić, who also held separate talks with Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali, welcomed Mogadishu’s refusal to recognize Kosovo’s 2008 independence — a stance Serbia regards as a key diplomatic victory.

“We are grateful for Somalia’s support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia,” Đurić said. “Serbia also fully respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Somalia.”

More than 50 Muslim-majority countries — among them Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE — have recognized Kosovo, along with the United States and most Western powers. Somalia, however, has charted its own path, siding with Serbia’s position that Kosovo remains an inseparable part of its territory.

Đurić stressed the value of that alignment: “Serbia is proud of its traditionally good relations and decades-long friendship with Somalia,” he said.

“We are firmly committed to further developing and deepening relations with this African country — in the economy, agriculture, construction, education, and through cooperation in international forums.”

Shared sensitivities on sovereignty

For Serbia, Kosovo is not just about borders.

“Kosovo and Metohija carry exceptional significance for the Serbian people — historically, in state-building, religiously, economically, and politically,” Đurić explained. “Its unilateral secession has serious geopolitical consequences for international relations.”

Both ministers agreed that international law and the principles of the UN Charter must remain at the center of global diplomacy, warning that unilateral secession sets “dangerous precedents.”

For Somalia, the issue resonates on a personal level. Mogadishu continues to reject Somaliland’s claims of independence, made in 1991 but still unrecognized internationally.

Just as Serbia insists Kosovo is part of its sovereign state, Somalia maintains that Somaliland remains an integral part of its own. That shared experience has drawn Mogadishu and Belgrade closer together.

At their meeting in the Palace of Serbia, Prime Ministers Barre and Matsut looked beyond geopolitics, pledging to deepen ties across key sectors. The newly signed health memorandum will promote cooperation in medical training, research, and the exchange of expertise.

Barre pointed to opportunities in education and technology, with an emphasis on empowering young people and encouraging cultural exchange. Matsut, in turn, promised Serbia’s backing for Somalia’s security priorities, including counterterrorism and regional stability.

The talks were hailed as a step forward in building a lasting partnership — one that could open the door to closer collaboration in the years ahead.

Đurić also used the meetings to restate Belgrade’s broader foreign policy vision: “Serbia pursues an independent foreign policy, based on the principles of military neutrality, which entails cultivating relations and cooperation with all relevant geopolitical, military, and economic partners worldwide,” he said.

“Conducting such a policy in the current international environment is not easy, but it is the right course of action and in the interest of the Republic of Serbia.”

For Serbia, Somalia’s backing carries both symbolic and strategic weight. It reinforces Belgrade’s campaign to block Kosovo’s full international recognition, while showing that not all Muslim countries stand with Pristina and its Western supporters.