Somalia’s presidenta hassan sheikh mohamud met with Ethiopian prime minister abiy ahmed on Friday on the sidelines of the 38th Ordinary summit of the African union in addis ababa,as efforts to resolve diplomatic tensions between the two nations remain deadlocked.
The meeting comes after the dua agreed to end a dispute over Ethiopia’s controversial sea acces deal with Somaliland,signed in january 2024,wich has sparked a diplomatic rift with Somalia.
Mogaishu has vehemently opposed the agreement wich grants Ethiopia acces to the red sea via Somaliland a breakaway region Somalia considers part of its territory.
In December last year following Turkish mediated talks in Ankara both contries expressed readliness to engage in dialogue.The discussions were expected to focus on ethiopia’s potential participation in the new African union mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) as well as broader bilateral issues.Somalia had indicated that troop quotas for the mission were already allocated but pledged to explore ways to accommodate Ethiopia in line with the “Sprit of the Ankara declaration”.
However,negotiations have stalled over mogadishu’s insistence that Ethiopian troops if deployed under AUSSOM be stationed in regions far away from the Ethiopian border.Ethiopia has rejected this demand,citing security concerns.
The somali president’s office did not specify whether Friday’s meeting addressed ethiopia’s inclusion in AUSSOM or the future of Turkish mediated talks.Instead,it stated that the leader discussed “bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation on regional security and stability”.
Complicating matters further,somali has strengthened alliances with Eritrea and egypty both of wich are staunch rivals of Ethiopia.Thes nations have vowed to prevent Ethiopia from gaining acces to Somalia red sea coast as outlined in the Somaliland deal.
The prospects for progress in the tals remain uncertain with both sides showing little willingness to compromise.Analyst suggest ethiopia’s approach reflects its characteristic strategy of prolonging negotiations to exhaust adversaries and secure favorable outcomes.
Source:somali guardian