Ethiopia eyes ‘secure, dependable access’ to and from sea

Following the conclusion without an outcome yesterday of the second round of talks facilitated by Türkiye to ease diplomatic tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia triggered by the former’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland for sea access, Somaliland expressed apprehension over what it said was “Türkiye’s growing involvement in such regional matters is a clear indication of the lack of impartiality of Türkiye as a mediator and their aim to directly interfere with the MoU between Somaliland and Ethiopia.”

Regardless Somaliland affirmed its commitment to the implementation of the MoU. “The Government of the Republic of Somaliland remains committed to implementing the MoU with Ethiopia,” Somaliland said, adding that its officials “have been closely monitoring the talks initiated by Türkiye as mediation efforts.”

Earlier this week, Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi also accused Türkiye of “not respecting the Sovereignty of the Republic of Somaliland and Somaliland will not accept this, nor will Somaliland ever accept this as it is equivalent to saying that Somaliland will be ruled from Mogadishu.”

However, the Turkish mediation efforts received a positive response from the Ethiopian government. “The Foreign Minister’s efforts demonstrate the exemplary manner in which the Republic of Tükiye has taken its role of facilitating the talks between Ethiopia and Somalia,” Ethiopia said and expressed its confidence that “Türkiye now appreciates the importance Ethiopia attaches to this facilitation and Ethiopia’s legitimate interest and the peaceful manner in which it seeks to secure dependable access to and from the sea. Ethiopia has endeavored to de-escalate tensions and restore normal relations in the region.”

“I am confident that Ethiopia’s legitimate interests to secure dependable access to and from the sea will be fulfilled peacefully in cooperation with our neighbors,” said Ethiopia’s foreign minister Taye Atske Selassie.

Somaliland’s suspicion of Türkiye’s impartiality in mediating the talks became visible following the recent announcement that Türkiye was poised to send its navy support to Somali waters following an earlier agreement between Ankara and Mogadishu that will allow Türkiye to send an exploration vessel off the coast of Somalia to prospect for oil and gas.

Somaliland has warned that “any unilateral action by external entities, such as the reported intention of Turkish naval forces to operate in Somaliland maritime zones, constitutes a grave violation of international law and Somaliland’s sovereign rights. Such actions undermine regional stability and contravene the spirit of peaceful coexistence among neighboring states.”

Since then Somaliland has moved on to establish a Ministerial Level State Recognition Taskforce to strategize and pursue recognition efforts. It said that the decision “aligns with our government’s ongoing diplomatic initiatives, including the recent MoU with Ethiopia for sea access.”

However, there has since been no update from the Ethiopian side on the status of the MoU, which has generated backlash from the government of neighboring Somalia and subsequent diplomatic rows, which is what Türkiye is planning to mediate. AS