US welcomes agreement to end Ethiopia, Somalia dispute over Somaliland port deal
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - The United States welcomes the 11 December Declaration between the Federal Republic of Somalia and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to resolve a dispute between the two African nations over the decision of Ethiopia to build a port in Somaliland.
Under the declaration, they reaffirmed each country’s “sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity and advancing cooperation on shared interests”.
The US said it appreciates the leadership of Türkiye in facilitating this Declaration, adding “We look forward to technical negotiations to permit Ethiopia to enjoy reliable, secure, and sustainable access to the sea for mutual economic benefit while respecting Somalia’s territorial integrity”.
A press release issued by the US State Department said “ongoing dialogue and engagement are essential for a stable and prosperous future for Ethiopia and Somalia”.
The US encouraged Ethiopia and Somalia to intensify their cooperation on mutual security interests, particularly the fight against al-Shabaab, and look forward to continuing our close bilateral cooperation with both nations.
The conflict between the two countries began when landlocked Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a maritime agreement in January this year under which Somaliland would give Ethiopia access to a 20-km leased land along the Red Sea in return for Addis Ababa recognising the break-away Somali region.
Somalia was enraged by the agreement as it considers Somaliland as part of its territory.
Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as de jure part of Somalia.
Somaliland has not gained widespread international recognition despite declaring autonomy from Somalia in 1991.
Somalia's leaders condemned the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland rejecting it as "illegal" and an “absurd violation” of the country’s sovereignty.
The MoU was signed in Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Somaliland leader, Muse Bihi Abdi in January this year.
Ethiopia lost access to the sea when Eritrea broke away in 1993 following a long war and it now relies on Djibouti for its maritime trade. Under the MoU, it will use Somaliland's Red Sea port of Berbera.
-0- PANA MA 13Dec2024
