Egypt Daily News – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced sponsorship of what he called “historic reconciliation” between Ethiopia and Somalia.
Erdogan said, we agreed on a joint memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia and Somalia, and we thank the leaders of the two countries for the historic reconciliation.
The Turkish President added, during a joint press conference with his Somali counterpart, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed: “We agreed on a joint memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia and Somalia.”
Erdogan receives Abiy Ahmed and the Somali President
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held separate meetings with the leaders of Somalia and Ethiopia earlier today, as part of his efforts to resolve the dispute between the two Horn of Africa neighbors over the breakaway region of Somaliland.
The Turkish presidency said in two posts on X that Erdogan held bilateral meetings with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Ankara. No further details were provided about the content of the meetings.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister’s office confirmed that Abiy Ahmed held a bilateral meeting with Erdogan, attended by delegations of both countries.
Somali television reported that Sheikh Mahmoud and Erdogan held discussions during their bilateral meeting that dealt with strengthening bilateral relations and paving the way for a third round of talks between Somalia and Ethiopia, mediated by Türkiye.
Turkish mediation between Somalia and Ethiopia
Türkiye has so far hosted two rounds of meetings between the two East African neighbors in an attempt to mend relations between them. A third round of talks scheduled to take place in September was cancelled, underscoring the tension between the two countries.
Disagreements erupted between Somalia and Ethiopia earlier this year after the Ethiopians announced plans to build a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland, which has struggled to gain international recognition despite enjoying relative autonomy and peace and stability since declaring independence in 1991.
Somalia strongly opposes Somaliland’s efforts for independence.
Ethiopia said it would formally recognize the independence of Somaliland in exchange for a strategic strip of land, near where the Red Sea meets the Indian Ocean.
Ethiopia does not overlook the seas, and it has thousands of troops in Somalia to fight rebels linked to Al-Qaeda.
Erdogan announces a “historic reconciliation” between Somalia and Ethiopia
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Somalia and Ethiopia agreed on a joint declaration to resolve their differences, after talks he held in Ankara with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
In a joint press conference, Erdogan thanked the Somali President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister for what he described as historic reconciliation between the two countries.
