Ethiopia and Somalia reached an agreement Wednesday to end diplomatic tensions and to begin talks by February to iron out details over a controversial maritime access deal signed by Ethiopia with the breakaway Somalia region of Somaliland.
The dispute between began January 1 when Somaliland’s president, Muse Bihi Abdi, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a "historic" memorandum of understanding to lease 20 kilometers of seafront to Ethiopia for 50 years, in return for diplomatic recognition.
The Somali government has rejected the deal, calling it "null and void," and has accused Ethiopia of "blatant violation" of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Following Wednesday’s third round of talks mediated by Turkey’s President Tayyip Recep Erdogan, the president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Ethiopia’s Ahmed, have agreed to assure to protect each other’s territorial unity and sovereignty, according to the published agreement.
The "Ankara Declaration" says, "The Leaders of Somalia and Ethiopia reaffirmed their respect and commitment to one another’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, as well as the principles enshrined in international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitutive Act of the African Union."
It also says the two leaders agreed to forgo differences and cooperate in the interest of common prosperity.
"Somalia recognizes the sacrifices of Ethiopian soldiers within the African Union Missions. They acknowledged the potentially diverse benefits that could be derived from Ethiopia’s assured access to and from the sea, whilst respecting the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia," the declaration read.
"The two leaders agreed, according to Turkey, that the countries would start "technical negotiations" by February on details of Ethiopia's sea access, and that those negotiations would be facilitated by Turkey and be "concluded and signed" within four months of starting."
The two sides agreed to work together to finalize "mutually advantageous commercial arrangements through bilateral agreements, including contract, lease, and similar modalities, which will allow the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to enjoy reliable, secure and sustainable access to and from the sea, under the sovereign authority of the Federal Republic of Somalia."
Erdoğan brokered the agreement and commended the two sides.
"I would like to congratulate both brothers for coming to a compromise," Erdogan said.
Mohamud, speaking after Erdogan, said he is pleased with the agreement.
"In one aspect it’s a conclusion because It stops the differences we had the recent times," he said.
Mohamud said Somalia and Ethiopia have "mutual interests in cooperating together and building prosperous futures of both our two countries and our two peoples."
"Somalia, as has been, will remain a true friend of Ethiopia for the future and the years to come," Mohamud said.
Abiy, in his remarks, touched on similar points and has described the tensions between the two countries as a "misunderstanding."
"We are not only neighbors, but brothers and sisters, whose fates are bound by blood," Abiy said.
"Not only do Ethiopians and Somalis share common ancestry, language and culture but we are also held together with the blood sacrifice that has been paid by thousands of Ethiopian soldiers in defense of the security of the state of Somalia from terrorist forces."
Somaliland announced secession from Somalia in 1991 but did not gain international recognition. Somalia considers Somaliland as part of Somalia. Landlocked Ethiopia has thousands of troops operating in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission.
Ethiopia has not officially said it will recognize Somaliland but has defended the deal.