Somalia and Ethiopia held a first round of technical negotiations in Ankara, Turkiye, on Tuesday on a declaration adopted in December to resolve a row over a maritime MoU between Addis Ababa and Somaliland.
Ethiopia was represented by foreign minister Gedion Timothewos and Somalia by Mohamed Omar, its state minister for foreign affairs.
According to the Turkish foreign ministry, the two sides “demonstrated their commitment to the letter and spirit of the Ankara Declaration”, a December 11 agreement aimed at ending a row over a maritime deal Ethiopia signed with Somaliland in January 2024 which angered Somalia’s federal government.
The ministry said the talks “represent a historic opportunity for the future of the Horn of Africa” and that Ankara “stands ready to support the process and contribute to its implementation”.
“The delegations began the concrete work to transform this vision into reality and lay the ground for mutually beneficial sustainable development,” it added.
The delegations agreed to meet again in March for another round of technical negotiations.
The Ankara Declaration was signed by Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed with the assistance of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
