Turkey will hold separate talks with Ethiopia and Somalia to break the deadlock existing between the HoA neighbors since January this year.
Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, talking to Anadolu news agency said that progress had been made in earlier two rounds of discussions between Ethiopia and Somalia held in Ankara. He said now Turkey will hold separate discussions with the two countries. After that, the two will meet for the 3rd round of negotiations.
The 3rd round of talks between Ethiopia and Somalia was planned for September 18, but it has been postponed indefinitely. After that Turkish Foreign Ministry talked to the news agency.
Ethiopia and Somalia are at odds over a controversial MoU signed by Ethiopia with Somaliland in January this year. Turkey is Somalia’s key defense partner. It has a large military base in Somalia. It is one of leading trade partners with Ethiopia too.
It seems that the two rounds of talks held recently did not lead to any significant progress. It remains to be seen if Turkey will be able to convince Ethiopia and Somalia for a 3rd round or not.
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Somalia Ethiopia 3rd Round of Talks Postponed Indefinitely