Turkey facilitates diplomatic efforts to reconcile Somalia and Ethiopia

ANKARA (AFP): Turkey was seeking to bring together Monday Horn of Africa rivals Somalia and Ethiopia for the second round of talks in Ankara aiming to ease tensions between them, a Turkish diplomatic source said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan separately met with his counterparts from Somalia and Ethiopia early on Monday.

“The parties are not meeting with one another,” the Turkish diplomatic source said.

“The Turkish delegation is conducting shuttle diplomacy under the coordination of our minister,” the same source added.

The two neighbours have a history of stormy relations and territorial feuds. They fought two wars in the late 20th century.

These tensions were exacerbated earlier this year when Addis Ababa signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland that gives Ethiopia — one of the largest landlocked countries in the world — long-sought-after sea access.

In return, Somaliland — which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991, a move not recognised by Mogadishu — has said Ethiopia would give it formal recognition, although these assertions have not been confirmed by Addis Ababa.

Under the January 1 pact, Somaliland agreed to lease 20 kilometres (12 miles) of its coast for 50 years to Ethiopia, which wants to set up a naval base and a commercial port.

Fidan announced “good progress” during July talks and said he remained hopeful for the future, during press conference alongside the two neighbours’ foreign ministers.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also involved in the diplomatic efforts for reconciliation between the two sides as he held separate phone calls with Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at the weekend.

Turkey is pushing for diplomatic and economic influence in Africa, at a time when many countries in the continent are turning away from their former colonial rulers.

Over Erdogan’s two decades in power, Ankara has consolidated its foothold on the continent, quadrupling its number of embassies there.

Turkey has already announced plans to launch an oil and gas exploration mission off the coast of Somalia, similar to the one it is carrying out in Libyan waters.

Ankara has signed defence agreements with a number of states spanning the breadth of the continent, including Somalia, Libya, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Ghana.