MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced this week that a new round of high-stakes negotiations is set to commence next week aimed at resolving a complex and potentially groundbreaking deal between Somalia and Ethiopia. The Turkish initiative, which seeks to address longstanding regional tensions, involves Ethiopia’s bid for a strategic naval base on the Red Sea, Somaliland’s quest for international recognition, and Somalia’s sovereignty concerns.
The tensions are over a deal, initially signed in January 2024, which proposes that Somaliland grant Ethiopia access to a 90-kilometer stretch of land along the Red Sea. This access would enable Ethiopia to establish a naval base, a move that has been met with anger by Mogadishu. In return for this concession, Ethiopia would officially recognize Somaliland’s independence.
After months-long standoff, the new Turkish proposal would allow Ethiopia to gain the coveted sea access and a strategic naval position, while Somalia would receive recognition of its sovereignty, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said this week upon returning from trips to Addis Ababa and Cairo, which were aimed to rally support and broker a resolution.
A new round of talks is due next week, after a previous meeting between representatives from Somalia and Ethiopia had collapsed, Fidan added.
Fidan’s statement reflects Turkey’s broader strategy of leveraging its diplomatic influence to protect its interests in the Horn of Africa, a region of growing geopolitical importance.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud previously insisted that his government would not allow the establishment of an Ethiopian naval base on a Somali territory, and instead would grant Ethiopia a commercial access to the sea.
Mohamud’s government has so far failed to keep its promise of not talking with Addis Ababa until it rescinds its memorandum of understanding with Somaliland and it is not yet clear whether it will bow to the Turkish pressure and compromise, permitting Addis Ababa to build a naval base in Somaliland.
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