Newly elected Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi on Saturday received a red carpet welcome by Djibouti President Ismail Omar Gelle a move that is likely to cause diplomatic row with Somalia.
Abdi received a guard of honour reserved for visiting heads of states upon landing at the Djibouti International Airport on his day one of a three days state visit
Djibouti and its President Gelle has long been seen as a close ally of Somalia having hosted a number of historic meetings in the Somalia peace process.
Mogadishu has enjoyed a warm relation with Djibouti but the images of the leader of its breakaway region honoured as a head of state may lead to a frosty relation between the two.
Abdi is on his first state visit since his inauguration as President of Somaliland which declared its independence following the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991.
Somaliland has however remained unrecognized by the international community.
