Somalia-Ethiopia end bitter row to look towards new beginning, Türkiye hails 'historic'

On December 11, the leaders of Somalia and Ethiopia reached an agreement to end a bitter dispute that has lasted nearly a year between the two countries after hours of negotiations in the Turkish capital Ankara that same day.

From left: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud after a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, December 11. (Source: Reuters)

The Somali Daily newspaper reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the information and praised it as a "historic agreement".

The leader expressed hope that the agreement would be "the first step towards a new beginning based on peaceful and cooperative relations between Somalia and Ethiopia".

Earlier in the day, President Erdogan held separate meetings with his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Ankara before announcing the deal.

Turkey has positioned itself as a mediator trying to ease tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, with a trilateral meeting on December 11 representing a diplomatic effort to find a peaceful solution.

Ankara will continue this role for technical negotiations on long-term coastal access to Addis Ababa via Somalia between the two Horn of Africa countries in February 2025.

The two sides are expected to reach a formal agreement on the relevant issue within four months, along with a number of commercial agreements, including lease and rental contracts.

Tensions have been rising in the Horn of Africa since January 2024 after Somaliland, an unrecognized breakaway region from Somalia, agreed to lease 20 kilometers of coastline to Ethiopia for 50 years. Ethiopia, a landlocked country, wants to establish a naval base and a commercial port on the Red Sea.

The coastal lease agreement has caused tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia. In March 2024, Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to negotiate a solution to the crisis between the two sides.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/somalia-ethiopia-khep-lai-tranh-cai-gay-gat-de-huong-toi-khoi-dau-moi-tho-nhi-ky-ca-ngoi-lich-su-297076.html