Saturday 11,Jan,2025 {HMC} Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Saturday for bilateral discussions to re-enhance relations between the neighboring countries.
President Mohamud and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed are expected to focus on a range of critical issues, including implementing the Ankara Agreement and Ethiopia’s role in the new peacekeeping mission in Somalia. Both leaders aim to enhance collaboration on regional stability, economic cooperation, and political alignment.
This visit marks President Hassan Sheikh’s first trip to Addis Ababa since February 17, 2023, when he attended the 37th African Union Summit. That visit was overshadowed by allegations from Somali officials, who claimed that Ethiopian security forces attempted to restrict the president’s movements, forcing him to join the convoy of Djibouti’s president to leave his hotel.
The two neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa have seen tensions escalate since Ethiopia struck a deal in January with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland to lease a stretch of its coastline for an Ethiopian port and military base in exchange for diplomatic recognition.
Diplomatic efforts, including Turkey’s Ankara Declaration in December 2024, played a pivotal role in easing tensions. The agreement reaffirmed Somalia’s territorial integrity while granting Ethiopia conditional access to Somali ports, balancing Ethiopia’s economic interests with Somalia’s sovereignty concerns.
President Hassan Sheikh’s upcoming visit underscores the importance of addressing unresolved issues while seeking to strengthen bilateral ties. The outcome of these talks could shape the future of Somalia-Ethiopia relations and have broader implications for regional peace and development.
