The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye is on an official visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the headquarters of the African Union.
A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, will visit Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on August 3 and will be received by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ethiopia and Türkiye have a deep relationship that has been officially established since the 18th century, the Turkish embassy in Addis Ababa is one of the first to be opened in the country, while Ethiopia has had relations with Turkey for a long time.
When King Haile Sillasie visited Türkiye in the 3rd march 1967, it showed the deep historical ties between the two countries.
In terms of trade, the two countries have a very large trade relationship. In 20 years, the trade relationship has increased more than 10 times. It is now a marathon of 345 million dollars.
The goal is to reach 1 billion in the coming years. Turkish companies very active In Ethiopia, This visit comes at a time when the tension in the Horn of Africa region has escalated as a result of the agreement signed by the President of Somaliland and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed on January 1, 2024, which allows Ethiopia to have access to the sea and 20 km. A military base can be established, Ethiopia is a country with a large population and landlocked after the secession of Eritrea. Somalia strongly opposed the agreement saying that its territorial integrity was violated, and it expelled the Ethiopian Ambassador to Mogadishu, Somalia where the relationship between the two neighboring countries was severed.
Türkiye held mediation talks in Ankara in which both sides expressed their goodwill. Although they did not meet directly, both sides voiced their desire for an agreement and good neighborliness. The Ethiopian & Somalia sides were represented by the two foreign ministers in the meeting, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye Hakan Fidan standing in the middle The second round of talks was scheduled for September 2, 2024.
