Ethiopia & Somalia have agreed to hold another round of talks in September. Their 2-days second round of talks was concluded in Ankara today.
Foreign Ministers from the 2 countries held a joint press briefing along with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. They confirmed that progress had been made and they would meet again on September 17 to build on this momentum.
Ethiopia and Somalia have been at loggerheads since January this year. Somalia recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia earlir this year and expelled Ethiopian ambassador. The tensions between the two countries arose when landlocked Ethiopia singed a controversial MoU with Somaliland.
Foreign Ministries from Somalia and Turkiye issued separate statements. Somalia’s Foreign Ministry thanked Turkiye for hosting talks in Ankara. Somalia confirmed that progress had been made in 2-day negotiations.
“During the talks on August 12-13, progress was made. We appreciate President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s continued efforts in fostering peace and stability in the region. The Federal Republic of Somalia is committed to participating in the upcoming third round of talks, with the expectation that it will result in a definitive resolution that reinforces Somalia’s unity and sovereignty, in strict adherence to international law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. Somalia remains steadfast in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, firmly committed to protecting its borders and ensuring national stability and security, the Somali FM said.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Taye Atske Selaiassie also thanked Turkiye and hoped that Somalia and Ethiopia would solve their issues amicably.
The MoU signed by Ethiopia with Somaliland, if implemented, would give Ethiopia access to sea through Somaliland in return for recognizing Somaliland as a country. Somaliland is internationally recognized as part of Somalia but it wants to get international recognition. Somalia calls Ethiopia-Somaliland MoU an attack on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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