Ethiopia and Somalia on Wednesday agreed to hold “technical talks” to resolve a dispute sparked by Ethiopia’s deal with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, according to a statement following talks in Turkey.
Turkey has been mediating between the two east African countries as tensions between them have simmered since Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland in January to lease land along its coastline to establish a marine force base.
In return, Ethiopia would recognize Somaliland’s independence, which Somalia says infringes on its sovereignty and territory.
Photo: AFP / Turkish Presidental Press Service
A joint declaration was reached after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met separately with Somalian President Hassan Sheik Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday.
The sides agreed that the talks, which would begin by February and conclude within four months, would respect Somalia’s territorial integrity while recognizing “potential benefits” of Ethiopia’s access to the sea, the statement says.
The sides would work to “finalize mutually advantageous commercial arrangements” to allow Ethiopia “to enjoy reliable, secure and sustainable access to and from the sea,” under Somalian sovereignty, it says.
Somaliland seceded from Somalia more than 30 years ago, but is not recognized by the African Union or the UN as an independent state. Somalia still considers Somaliland part of its territory.
Somaliland has built a stable political environment, contrasting sharply with Somalia’s ongoing struggles with insecurity amid deadly attacks by al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabaab. Somaliland last month held a presidential election that boosted its push for international recognition.
Erdogan, flanked by Mohamud and Abiy, told reporters at a news conference in the Turkish capital that the sides have reached an “important stage” in efforts to solve their dispute.
The joint declaration focuses “on the future and not the past,” he said. “By overcoming some resentments and misunderstandings, we have taken the first step toward a new beginning based on peace and cooperation between Somalia and Ethiopia.”
He also said he hoped Somalia would take steps to give Ethiopia sea access.
Abiy said that “Ethiopia’s aspiration for secure access to the sea is a peaceful venture and one that would benefit all our neighbors.”
“I believe that today’s constructive discussions will push us into a new year with this spirit of cooperation, friendship and the willingness to work together instead of against each other,” he said.
Mohamud said that the Horn of Africa is a “very fragile and very volatile region, which needs both Ethiopia and Somalia to work together” for the benefit of both.
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down overnight without affecting banks and mortgages. Therefore, the government is focusing on providing more aid for young people by taking 3 to 5 percent of urban renewal projects and zone expropriations and using that land for social housing, he said. Single people living in social housing who get married and become parents could obtain 50 percent more
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
RSS