The president of Somalia is in Ethiopia to improve tense relations

According to his office, the president of Somalia traveled to Ethiopia on Saturday, marking the most significant indication yet of improved ties between the two countries following a year of hostilities over Addis Ababa’s intentions to establish a naval station in a Somali territory that has broken away.

In a statement shared on the social media site X, the president’s office announced that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took a plane from Uganda to Ethiopia early on Saturday to attend a summit on African agriculture.

His talks with Ethiopian officials “to strengthen bilateral relations and advance shared priorities” took place when he was in Ethiopia, according to the statement.

“This renewed cooperation underscores a new era of collaboration between Somalia and Ethiopia.”

In the joint statement on X, they also committed to “restoring and enhancing bilateral relations through full diplomatic representation in their capitals.”

Ethiopia dispatched its military minister to Mogadishu on January 2, marking the first time the two nations have visited each other since their relations worsened.

A memorandum of agreement (MoU) between Ethiopia and Somaliland, the breakaway territory of Somalia, sparked tensions in January 2024.

The MoU stated that in exchange for potential recognition of Somaliland’s independence, Addis Ababa would lease a portion of the country’s coastline for an Ethiopian commercial port and naval base.

Since then, Ethiopia has bolstered ties with Ethiopia’s bitter enemies Egypt and Eritrea, threatened to expel its peacekeepers, and accused Somalia of compromising its territorial integrity.

On December 11, following discussions in Turkey, Somalia and Ethiopia decided to cooperate in resolving the conflict and start technical negotiations by the end of February, following months of intensifying rhetoric and fruitless international mediation attempts.

“Underscoring the serious and evolving threat posed by extremist militant groups in the region, the leaders agreed to instruct their respective security agencies to bolster cooperation in promoting peace and stability in the region.” , stated the statement.

“The president’s visit to Addis Ababa is a follow-up to the agreement reached in Ankara,” Somalia stated in the statement.