Ethiopian and Somali foreign ministers to hold second round of talks

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced this Friday that the foreign ministers of Ethiopia and Somalia will meet in Ankara next week to discuss the dispute over the Sea Gate Agreement signed between Ethiopia and Somaliland.

On December 22, 2016, the first day of this calendar year, Ethiopia signed an agreement to lease 20 kilometers of Somaliland’s coastline, which clashed with Somalia, which considers Somaliland its own territory. Ethiopia has allegedly agreed to recognize the independence of Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia, in return for this gift.

Mogadishu called the deal illegal and asked the Ethiopian ambassador to leave the country. It also threatened to expel Ethiopian soldiers who are helping the country fight Islamist insurgents.

The foreign ministers of Somalia and Ethiopia held their first round of talks in Ankara last month, chaired by Fidan.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa last Saturday and announced today at a press conference in Istanbul that a second round of talks will be held next week.

Fidan, who said he discussed specific issues with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said: “As long as Ethiopia respects Somalia’s borders and political sovereignty, it will benefit from Somalia’s sea gate, which will defuse tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia.”

Turkey has become a close ally of the Somali government, building infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and military bases. Seven years ago, the two countries signed a military and economic cooperation agreement.