Wednesday December 25, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali government has announced plans to provide Ethiopia with access to the Red Sea for commercial purposes, according to Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi.
In an interview with Asharq News, Fiqi clarified that the arrangement focuses exclusively on trade.
The announcement coincided with high-level discussions in Addis Ababa between Ethiopia's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Misganu Arga, and Somalia's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ali Mohamed Omar. The talks focused on implementing agreements from the Ankara Summit held on December 11, including efforts to deepen bilateral relations and operationalize mutual commitments.
The two neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa have seen tensions escalate since Ethiopia struck a deal in January with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland to lease a stretch of its coastline for an Ethiopian port and military base in exchange for diplomatic recognition.