Turkiye plans to meet separately with Somalia and Ethiopia to resolve a dispute over Ethiopia’s agreement to lease part of Somaliland’s coastline, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Thursday.
Turkiye has already facilitated two rounds of talks between the East African neighbors to ease tensions. However, the third round, initially set for Tuesday in Ankara, was canceled.
Tensions between the countries escalated in January when Ethiopia agreed to lease 20 kilometers of coastline from the self-declared Somaliland region in exchange for recognizing its independence. In response, Mogadishu declared the agreement illegal and threatened to expel thousands of Ethiopian troops in Somalia, who are aiding in the fight against Al-Shabaab insurgents, and also expelled the Ethiopian ambassador.
In an interview with the state-run Anadolu news agency, Fidan confirmed that Turkiye remains in contact with the leadership and ministries of both nations. He expressed hope for a resolution, noting that the parties had “reached a certain point of convergence” during previous Ankara negotiations.