Ethiopia will gain access to a Somali port when the foreign ministers of Ethiopia and Somalia meet soon in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.
Turkey, a close ally of Somalia, has been mediating between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu for some time to improve the relationship between the two neighboring countries, which has been strained due to a MOU between the Ethiopian government and the Somaliland administration.
Reliable sources indicate that an agreement has been reached for Ethiopia to access a port in Somalia, specifically in the city of Berbera in Somaliland, while Ethiopia will withdraw from the previous agreement it made with the Somaliland administration on January 1, 2024.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking yesterday in Istanbul, stated that Ethiopia and Somalia will meet for a second round of talks in Ankara. Reports suggest that this meeting will be a face-to-face encounter with Turkey present as an observer.
Turkey is insisting on its economic and military interests in the Horn of Africa, a region crucial to global trade.
The Somali government will allow Ethiopia to use the port of Berbera in northern Somalia. A conclusive outcome was reached during a meeting on August 3 in Addis Ababa between Turkey’s Foreign Minister Fidan and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, where Somalia agreed to allow Ethiopia to use the Berbera port.
Reports from Hargeisa indicate that the Somaliland administration, led by Muse Bihi, faces significant challenges, including upcoming elections in Somaliland and Ethiopia’s dealings with the Mogadishu administration.
