Egypt Daily News – Somali Foreign Minister, Ahmed Moalim Faki, on Saturday evening, made a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel Ati, during which he informed him of the agreement to “Reject Differences” that Turkey announced recently reached between Somalia and Ethiopia.
Last Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a “historic agreement” had been reached between Somalia and Ethiopia to renounce their differences, during a joint press conference with Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, in Ankara.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, on Sunday, in a statement on its official Facebook page, that “the call discussed the distinguished strategic relations between Egypt and Somalia, and the mutual keenness to develop bilateral relations in all political, economic and commercial fields, in a way that meets the ambitions of the two brotherly countries, and builds on the momentum witnessed by the relations.”
They also followed up on the Egyptian-Somali meeting during the recent period, and on the results of the tripartite summit held in Asmara between the presidents of Egypt, Somalia and Eritrea on October 10, 2024.”
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement added, “The Foreign Minister of Somalia briefed the Egyptian Foreign Minister on the outcomes of the tripartite Ankara summit that was recently held between Somalia, Turkey, and Ethiopia, where the Somali Foreign Minister affirmed his country’s commitment to respecting Somali sovereignty and the unity and integrity of its lands, which Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Ati stressed, that Somalia has Egypt’s full support for in combating terrorism and achieving security and stability,” according to the ministry.
The statement continues, “the two ministers agreed to continue joint coordination and prepare to hold a tripartite ministerial meeting between the foreign ministers of Egypt, Somalia and Eritrea, in implementation of the directives of the political leaders in the three countries, to support coordination and consultation on regional issues of common interest.”
Commenting on the Somali-Ethiopian agreement, the Turkish Anadolu News Agency said that the “Ankara Declaration” confirmed that “the two parties agreed to put aside their differences, put aside disputed issues, and move forward with determination towards common prosperity.”
The Ankara Declaration stated that “both parties recognized the potential benefits that could be gained from Ethiopia’s safe access to the sea, while respecting the territorial integrity of Somalia.”
It’s worthwhile noting that Egypt will do whatever it takes to prevent Ethiopia from having access to the sea, as Ethiopia can use it to threaten maritime travel to the Suez canal.
