(02-07-24) ANKARA (Halqabsi News) – Somalia and Ethiopia have agreed to continue talks after an initial round of discussions in Ankara failed to yield concrete results, the Turkish government has announced.
The talks, held on 1 July, were facilitated by Turkey and focused on resolving differences between the two countries. Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and his Ethiopian counterpart, Taye Atske Selassie, participated in the discussions but did not meet face-to-face.
The Somali government released a statement emphasizing its firm stance that Ethiopia must withdraw a controversial memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the breakaway region of Somaliland before any substantive negotiations can take place. Somalia considers Somaliland to be part of its territory and maintains that the MoU violates its sovereignty.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed that the talks were not direct but expressed optimism about the “honest, open-minded and far-sighted dialogue” that took place.
Both sides have committed to continuing the discussions in pursuit of a peaceful resolution and regional stability. A second round of talks is scheduled for 2 September in Ankara.
Halqabsi News
