Turkey Mediates Somalia-Ethiopia Agreement Ending Dispute Over Berbera Port

Dec 12, 2024, 06:35 PM

Somalia and Ethiopia have reached a historic agreement to resolve their longstanding dispute over Somaliland's Berbera Port, signing the Ankara Declaration under the mediation of Turkey. The agreement was facilitated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, bringing together Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Ankara. Under the terms of the declaration, Ethiopia recognizes Somalia's territorial unity, while Somalia grants Ethiopia commercial access to the Somali coastline. The African Union hailed the agreement as 'historic,' while the United Nations, European Union, United States, and Germany welcomed the deal and praised Turkey's significant role in facilitating the resolution. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Turkey for its leadership in brokering the agreement.