Somalia and Ethiopia Initiate Technical Discussions in Turkey Over Sea Access
The bustling streets of Mogadishu had barely settled down from the recent diplomatic fanfare when officials from Somalia and Ethiopia quietly jetted off to Ankara. Here, beneath the expansive Turkish skies, a new chapter in East African diplomacy was set to unfold. Could an age-old quest for maritime access merge with modern realpolitik to reshape the Horn of Africa? In a world where global alliances shift as easily as the dunes in the Somali desert, hopes and anxieties collide.
It’s interesting how, in the realm of international diplomacy, a simple handshake can be as potent as the penning of a thousand treaties. In Mogadishu, the ink was still fresh on the air when Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed resolved to hit the reset button on their nations’ strained relations. Their intentions, wrapped in diplomacy’s finest velvet, aimed at rekindling collaboration and overshadowing discord. Now, the focus shifts to Ankara, where technical discussions set the stage for ambitious plans.
Daud Aweis, Somalia’s Minister of Information, brimming with cautious optimism, took to the digital agora of X. “I have arrived in Ankara,” he proclaimed, foreshadowing a diplomatic ballet directed to bring to life the Ankara Declaration. What lies behind the diplomatic curtain? A maze of potential agreements, promising to cement relations on the pillars of peace, cooperation, and equally bestowed respect.
However, not all that glitters is gold. The discourse dances around a contentious issue: Ethiopia’s aspiration for maritime ingress via Somali lands. Imagine the scene: on the dawn of 2024, Ethiopia and North Western State of Somalia struck an audacious Memorandum of Understanding. An Ethiopian foot on the sands of a 19-kilometer coastline near Berbera for half a century, contingent on Ethiopia acknowledging North Western State of Somalia’s sovereignty—a notion that struck a raw nerve with Somalia’s central government. An infringement on its sovereign crown, they claimed.
The geopolitical reverberations of such accords ripple beyond borders, stoking embers of age-old grievances. Can a path be smoothed within the constraints of international law, respecting Somali sovereignty while satiating Ethiopia’s maritime thirst? Committees filled with delegates, armed with briefs and backed by their respective governments, undertake this arduous calculus. Can a compromised paradigm arise, offering Ethiopia regulated access under Somalia’s vigilant watch?
Turkey, a nation with a storied history of balancing diplomacy on its proverbial tightrope, stands ready. Their relationship with Somalia—a symbiotic blend of military and amicable alliances—places Ankara in a unique position. Will Turkey wield its mediatory prowess or merely extend its hospitality to the Somali delegation as a neutral host?
The ramifications of these talks could be profound. A symphony of agreement may enhance commerce, fostering peaceful exchange and stability in a fraught region. Conversely, a discordant note—a failure to harmonize against the backdrop of territorial ambitions—might uncloak deep-seated tensions. Such a fissure could become fertile ground for groups like al-Shabaab, entities adept at sowing discord amid diplomatic divides.
In this delicate dance, where stakes are as high as they are unpredictable, all eyes rest on the diplomats composing their strategic steps in Ankara. The ripples of their negotiations, be they constructive or otherwise, will surely cascade across the windswept plains of the Horn of Africa, influencing regional stability and the future of its peoples.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring
