Ethiopia and Somalia have agreed to end their bitter dispute over Addis Ababa's plans to build a port in the breakaway republic of Somaliland after talks in Türkiye.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the “historic agreement” which he said would ultimately guarantee landlocked Ethiopia’s access to the sea.
At the press conference, he met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who agreed to respect each other's “sovereignty.”
There has been a dispute between the two neighbors since January, when Ethiopia signed a maritime agreement with Somaliland, which Somalia considers part of its territory.
It has raised fears of a wider regional conflict as Egypt supports Somalia – largely due to its anger with Ethiopia over the construction of a dam on the Nile River.
In recent years, Türkiye has become an important geopolitical player in the Horn of Africa, as it enjoys close economic relations with Addis Ababa and security agreements with Mogadishu.
Erdogan said that the agreement – which was announced on Wednesday evening in the Turkish capital, Ankara – is “the first step towards a new beginning.”
He said, “I sincerely congratulate the two brothers on reaching this historic reconciliation and thank them for their constructive stance.”
President Mahmoud said that his country is “ready to work with the Ethiopian leadership and the Ethiopian people.”
While Prime Minister Abiy insisted that Ethiopia's efforts to secure reliable access to the sea do not threaten Somalia and that the two sides “addressed the misunderstandings that occurred over the past year.”
The dispute began on New Year's Day, when Abiy signed a controversial deal with Somaliland to lease a 20-kilometre (12-mile) section of its coast for 50 years to set up a naval base.
In return, Ethiopia – the world's most populous landlocked country – was to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, although Addis Ababa did not explicitly confirm this.
Somaliland, which separated from Somalia more than 30 years ago, has long demanded recognition, but Mogadishu described the move as an act of “aggression.”
According to the Ankara Joint Declaration, the two neighboring countries in the Horn of Africa are scheduled to meet in February for “technical talks.”
Meanwhile, the two parties will seek to reach “mutually beneficial trade arrangements” to ensure Ethiopia’s access to the sea “under the sovereignty of Somalia.”
It is not clear whether Ethiopia has abandoned the agreement it signed with Somaliland, which Somalia has demanded in previous mediation efforts.
last month, Somaliland elects a new president – Former opposition leader Abdel Rahman Mohamed Abdallah – who promised to “review” the maritime deal.
He did not mention this during his inauguration speech Thursday morning.
Somaliland is located in a strategic part of the world and is seen as a gateway to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
