The Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abbiy Ahmed Ali is reported to have announced that the MoU agreement struck between the Republic of Somaliland will soon be implemented and completed.
He is said to have expressed the sentiments during a special meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in which they discussed the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Somaliland and Ethiopia on January 1 of this year.
The news added that the President of the Mogadishu administration complained at the China-Africa meeting held in Beijing, where he decried the accord struck between Somaliland and Ethiopia, something that was not part of the itinerary of the meeting, which caused the leaders in attendance of the FOCAC conference to feel jittery while not understanding the purpose, hence did not commenting on it.
The reports further quoted the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Taye Atselassie, explaining at the conference that his country indeed imported goods through the Djibouti port but since its bulk needs have ballooned, it was imperative that other ports were to be sourced; a fact the Chinese President is reported to have acknowledged.
The agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia stipulates that Ethiopia will lease 20 km of Somaliland’s coast and establish a naval base whilst Ethiopia would be the first country to recognize the independence of the Republic of Somaliland.