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.
Taiwan has arranged for about 8 million barrels of crude oil, or about one-third of its monthly needs, to be shipped from the Red Sea this month to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and ease domestic supply pressures, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) said yesterday. The state-run oil company has worked with Middle Eastern suppliers to secure routes other than the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes, CPC chairman Fang Jeng-zen (方振仁) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei. Suppliers in Saudi Arabia have indicated they
A global survey showed that 60 percent of Taiwanese had attained higher education, second only to Canada, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan easily surpassed the global average of 43 percent and ranked ahead of major economies, including Japan, South Korea and the US, data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for 2024 showed. Taiwan has a high literacy rate, data released by the ministry showed. As of the end of last year, Taiwan had 20.617 million people aged 15 or older, accounting for 88.5 percent of the total population, with a literacy rate of 99.4 percent, the data
CCP ‘PAWN’? Beijing could use the KMT chairwoman’s visit to signal to the world that many people in Taiwan support the ‘one China’ principle, an academic said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday arrived in China for a “peace” mission and potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), while a Taiwanese minister detailed the number of Chinese warships currently deployed around the nation. Cheng is visiting at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, as the opposition-dominated Legislative Yuan stalls a government plan for US$40 billion in extra defense spending. Speaking to reporters before going to the airport, Cheng said she was going on a “historic journey for peace,” but added that some people felt uneasy about her trip. “If you truly love Taiwan,
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
RSS