Ankara Declaration to be implemented starting February 2025
Borkena
Toronto – Escalating tension between Ethiopia and Somalia seems to have ended—at least for now—following Türkiye-mediated talks in Ankara.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud flew to the Turkish capital for the deal. And the Declaration was signed on Wednesday.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan facilitated the talks. Turkey sees itself as a “neutral mediator” despite its military ties with Somalia, where it operates one of its largest military bases outside of Turkey.
The President of Somalia has been adamant about peace talks with Ethiopia to ease tensions, demanding the nullification of the Memorandum of Understanding the latter signed with Somaliland—which is believed to be the immediate cause of the tension between the two countries.
What is known about the latest agreement in Ankara comes from the Ankara Declaration, which the two parties released after the talks.
“The meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere, enabled a frank and constructive discussion,” reads the declaration, which was published on the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Respecting the sovereignty of one another was one of the key points that the two parties agreed on. Somalia has been accusing Ethiopia of “violating its sovereignty” by signing the Memorandum of Understanding with Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991 and recently held its fifth presidential election. The election has been hailed as free and fair by several state actors, including Ethiopia.
It was stated in the declaration that “The Leaders of Somalia and Ethiopia reaffirmed their respect and commitment to one another’s sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity, as well as the principles enshrined in international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union.”
The two countries have also agreed to leave behind what the declaration described as “differences and contentious issues” and to cooperate for shared prosperity.
After the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, Somalia had been engaged in sabotaging Ethiopia politically and militarily, including by entering into a military pact with Egypt, with whom Ethiopia has had a hostile relationship for a long time.
In September this year, Egypt shipped two vessels of firearms, including heavy weaponry, to Somalia. It was also poised to send 10,000 troops to Somalia as part of the African Union Peacekeeping Mission and a bilateral arrangement with Somalia. Recently, Somalia announced that Ethiopia would not be part of the peacekeeping mission once the existing mission ends at the end of this month. Somalia had also been downplaying Ethiopia’s decades-old peacekeeping mission in the country, during which tens of thousands of Ethiopian forces lost their lives. In the Ankara Declaration, “Somalia recognizes the sacrifices of Ethiopian soldiers within the African Union Missions.”
Another key point highlighted in the declaration is that Ethiopia is to get access to and from the sea “whilst respecting the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.” The fate of the Memorandum of Understanding Ethiopia signed with Somaliland is not directly mentioned. Speculations are high that Somaliland is likely to receive recognition as an independent state from the Trump administration. The key factor that seems to have attracted Somaliland to sign the MoU with Ethiopia was the prospect of recognition as an independent state, and Ethiopia was to get access to 20 kilometers of coastal land on a rental basis for 50 years.
The two countries are also to resume economic relations. This is specified in the declaration: “They further agreed to closely work together to finalize mutually advantageous commercial arrangements through bilateral agreements, including contract, lease, and similar modalities, which will allow the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to enjoy reliable, secure, and sustainable access to and from the sea, under the sovereign authority of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
Somalia and Ethiopia are to start technical negotiations to implement the declaration as early as February 2025.
Türkiye sees itself in a sort of monitorial role in all this. The declaration includes a statement supporting its role: “They [Ethiopia and Somalia] welcomed Türkiye’s assistance in the implementation of these commitments and pledged to resolve any differences concerning their interpretation and application through dialogue and in a peaceful manner with Türkiye’s support, as needed.”
The full version of the declaration is available on Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website.
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Hey all of bigots, connivers and confused PhD philosophers in Minnesota, Toronto, Tennessee, Oslo and Down Under! I have really bad news for you. Ethiopia and Somalia has just reached a landmark agreement to resolve the issues between them peacefully. I heard some of you had started packing up to go to Mogadishu to do you filthy talk but that ain’t gonna happen. You will not be welcome there. So, start unpacking, you uncomely faces!!!
Here it is and read all about it, all of you numb brains!!!
addisinsight.net/2024/12/ethiopia-and-somalia-reach-landmark-agreement-with-turkish-mediation/
Unnecessary self Inflicted wound.
Display of juvenile machoism combined with a pinch of naivete in dealing with neighboring nations in regards to bilateral issues has caused repeated chaos in the region at least three times since taking the leadership role in 2018.
1) Allowing to be maneuvered by Al sisi and undermining the ‘African solutions for African problems’ initiative & letting Ethiopia’s interest to be undermined by Trump’s one sided mediation was a mistake, which was luckily rejected by the patriotic action of our negotiation team.
2) After the historic reconciliation made with our brotherly nation of Eretria, the only long & important relationship Ethiopia had in the region was cut short even before the ink of the reconciliation signature dried. It is not only unfortunate but very juvenile to unexpectedly cut the ties the people of the two brotherly nations have welcomed & were anxious to cultivate the old friendships and family ties after 30 years of separation,
3) Here we are now, due to our failure to capitalize on the historic peace reached with Eritrea (in #2 above), we ended up undermining our independent decision making process & forced to sign these current 3rd party mediated deal, just because the hasty missteps made in trying to force other arrangements in regards to ‘getting access to sea”, which would have been not only easier but our ‘natural’ & traditional sea access which is within reach by cultivating good working relations with our Northern neighbor Eritrea. .
These three huge & costly blunders made within the last 6 years were not only unfortunate but totally unnecessary.
It is important to the wider population in the region to build good will and good neighborliness with all the nations we are connected to by land permanently.
As for our brotherly relationship and the binding family ties we share with the people of Eritrea must be restored and mended for good, and I am confident we will be able to restore the Sea access we had through Eretria could bring a huge economic dividend for the peoples of both brotherly nations’.
On the positive side, the way the baseless Sudan & Egypt conspired & paid for propaganda-war was handled & defeated by simply stating the historic-facts & the reality on the ground clearly, and by letting the uninterrupted continuous flow of Abay water to speak for itself was a masterstroke.
All involved must be congratulated, and must know as this generation has, the generations yet to come will greatly appreciates their efforts & contributions to the nation.
“Life is inclusive, only the human mind is exclusive”,
SG
Be well.
T
Totaly agree with you. The unstable genius messed up and bulldozed everything in his way since day one. That is a fact.
Horn of Africa is unpredictable; Is it not? Yesterday until midnight you would see them preparing to slug it out and when they wake the very next morning, you will find them thousands of miles away kissing and making up for the lost time. All I can do is praying and ask The Almighty, The Merciful to make this miracle stand for ever. O My Horn of Africa! You never cease to amaze me and this one I like it very, very much. Keep up the good work!!!
Citizens, silence!!!
I’m singing from the top of my lung the old-time Somali spiritual!
Harimade Ana Haban; Ana Haban; Galada Same Nagaadhsi!!!
Harimade Ana Haban; Ana Haban; Galada Same Nagaadhsi!!!
Harimade Ana Haban; Ana Haban; Galada Same Nagaadhsi!!!
Harimade Ana Haban; Ana Haban; Galada Same Nagaadhsi!!!